#former forest warden

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Part 4 - The Veil Jumpers

Rewriting Veilguard Part 3 - The Grey Wardens

Disclaimer: I don't hate the game, I actually think it's quite great given the development hell Bioware went through in those 10 years. This is more of a hypothetical universe where there was less of that behind the scenes drama. Just a fun writing exercise.

Writing an Origin Story Mission for the Veil Jumpers

The Veil Jumpers are…interesting, the way they are presented in the game right now. At first you might assume they are Dalish, but then they are not, or at least not anymore, because they let anyone join their group. Then they all seemingly know about the true nature of the Evanuris and actively oppose them.

I have to admit, when the one faction that strictly deals with matters of the ancient elves and has the most visible Dalish influence, I expected a bit…well…more Dalish behaviour, I suppose. When I saw how Strife and Irelin responded to the Evanuris returning, I had a bit of a “…huh…” reaction. I expected at least some elves to have a crisis of faith, and Bellara contemplating how horrible this is for one or two scenes does not really count in my opinion.

So, in the Veil Jumper origin story we are about to experience, we have to tackle the following questions in a satisfying manner:

Why do so many seemingly Dalish elves allow outsiders into their midst?

Why does everyone apparently know of the Evanuris’ true nature?

Why does not a single elf have any kind of crisis of faith upon learning that their gods are evil?

At least one of these questions is going to be answered with “this doesn’t happen in the rewrite." I’ll let you guess which one it is.

So, without further ado, let us experience a potential Veil Jumper origin story!

Creating Rook

For a third time, let us press the start button. This time, we choose the Veil Jumper origin, and the little blurb text reads as follows:

“You are a Veil Jumper. This daring group explores ancient elven ruins in Arlathan Forest. Initially founded by the Dalish, they now, albeit reluctantly, accept anyone into their ranks who is brave and cunning enough to face Arlathan’s reality-warping magic. As one of their senior members, you are quite familiar with the preserved lore of Elvhenan and are now entrusted with leading an expedition into the unknown. But will that trust be warranted?”

I think the Veil Jumpers are the trickiest faction to explain the “you can play all races” angle. The Shadow Dragons consist of the oppressed and those willing to fight against tyranny, the Grey Wardens literally cannot afford to discriminate, but the Veil Jumpers? They were, quite probably, founded by the Dalish clans who lived in Arlathan Forest. And if there is one thing, one crucial trait the Dalish are known for across all previous games, is the fact that they really don’t like outsiders. Clan Lavellan was one of the exceptions to the rule.

So, for this rewrite’s version of Veil Jumper Rook, I’m going to do some world building to explain just why everyone brave and cunning enough is welcome to join them. Because all the building blocks are right there in DA lore, we just have to use them.

Let us go back to Tevinter Nights where we meet Strife and Irelin. We know they are from Clan Morlyn, Strife specifically having joined it after coming from a city elf background. We can presume that Clan Morlyn remained in Arlathan Forest to study and combat the wild magic awakening in it. Eventually, however, Clan Morlyn realised they were just too outnumbered against this raw power. So, begrudgingly, they chose to expand. At first, they picked up the straggling remnants of some of the other Dalish clans who lived in or traversed through Arlathan Forest, none of them numbering enough to survive on their own. But even that didn’t get Clan Morlyn the desired effect.

Clan Morlyn started taking in former prisoners of the Antaam (who were deforesting the place a few years ago), but that was not enough. By then, however, they slowly began to accept outside help, even share in their knowledge of the elven past. They looked at Clans Ralaferin and Lavellan as examples of what can happen if the People open themselves up more. While it is risky, it also brings rewards.

Eventually, the Dalish and the outsiders all merge into one large Clan Morlyn, of which several members form the Veil Jumpers, a force of knowledge and protection.

Now, as we know of Dalish naming customs, there is the first name, the family name, and the clan name. Rook’s Veil Jumper name is Aldwir, doesn’t sound pretty elven to me. But what if Rook’s name is their first name, then Aldwir, and then Morlyn? But how would that work for the different races being all named Aldwir? Well, here’s how we do it: they are all part of the same family. But how does that work?

Early into this expansion of Clan Morlyn, a Dalish woman, let’s call her Ashara, and a human man, let’s call him Beldon, met, fell in love, and married. Both had lost their previous spouse and found very common and loving ground. The man’s last name was Aldwir so they chose that one for the new union. Here’s how Rook’s race affects this backstory:

If Rook is an elf, they are a Dalish elf, the Morlyn mother being their biological parent from the first marriage.

If Rook is a human, they are the child of the human man who came to Clan Morlyn, again, a result of the father’s first marriage.

If Rook is a dwarf or a qunari, they are the adopted child of the human man who came to Clan Morlyn.

For the sake of this hypothetical playthrough, let us play a Dalish mage here.

So, once we finalise our Aldwir, Varric continues with his narration, pretty much summarising the Veil Jumper backstory I just proposed there. He also emphasises on how perilous and dangerous their expeditions into Arlathan Forest are.  But because of their knowledge to all things Elvhenan, he thinks this is the perfect place to look for the right person for his endeavour.

The Veil Jumper Camp

We begin our story at the Veil Jumper camp, and one thing I’d like to establish pretty early on is that the camp is incredibly mobile. It’s been visually alluded to in the game, but I really would like to emphasise the use of aravels here, showcasing the Dalish origins of this faction.

The opening scene starts with the aravels sailing through the forests, until they reach and make halt at a great lake surrounded by tall trees. In the distance, we can see some amazing elvhen ruins that are surprisingly still intact after all these years.

We’re also going to be immediately made aware of the fact that Arlathan Forest has some strange stuff going on with the Veil as there are just so many floating buildings and other anomalies scattered throughout the woods, the shores of the lake featuring an extensive amount on their own.

A note on the lake itself: This is, of course, meant to be the Arlathan Crater, where the ancient Tevinter magisters waged their final battle against the elves before sinking the city into the ground, or so we are meant to believe. I’m going to announce an immediate change right now and say that we are not going to see the ruined capital city of Arlathan here. Because…reasons. Either it’s sunk into the ground, or…well, something else.

Meeting Irelin

The game starts with us stepping out of our aravel, because yeah we get one, pretty cool right? Irelin, one of the Veil Jumper leaders, wants to see us. This is our big day, today we begin our expedition, and now we actually get to hear what this expedition is all about:

The Veil Jumpers have been observing a cave on a small island in the lake for a while now. It could lead to the ruins of a part of Arlathan itself, which is still rumoured to be sunk deep beneath the waves. Our first task is to head to D’Meta’s Crossing, get our supplies, gather our team, and head off. This expedition, consisting of three people, shall be led by us, Aldwir, Bellara, one our most accomplished elven historians, and…Merrill.

NOTE: For the duration of this prologue, Rook shall be referred to as Aldwir, for the same reasons as stated in the other origins. Also, Merrill wasn’t killed in the events of DA2, allowing her to appear here now. In this World State, she romanced Hawke.

So, with Merrill, I am approaching this from a very simple perspective: If she’s alive, she’s here. If she isn’t, she just isn’t.

Our next immediate goal is to head to D’Meta’s Crossing, where we shall meet Strife and Bellara, who need to give us some additional briefing.

Exploring the Veil Jumper Camp

Before we head to D’Meta’s Crossing, Aldwir has the opportunity to do some exploration of the Veil Jumper camp. At this point, we can have the following encounters here:

We can encounter Myrion, the mage from Tevinter Nights, who escaped the Antaam along with Strife. He’s now a Veil Jumper and one of those in charge of defending the caravan during travels.

If she’s alive, which she is in this case, we can have an early meet-up with Merrill. We learn that she left Kirkwall after the events of Trespasser and wandered Thedas in the attempt to learn more about the Eluvians and the mysterious Crossroads. We can ask about Hawke, but she’ll be very quiet and sad about him, as he’s presumed dead after the events at Adamant Fortress.

NOTE: In this World State, Clan Sabrae survived and Merrill’s Eluvian was restored.

D’Meta’s Crossing

So, D’Meta’s Crossing will have a bit of a different role in this rewrite. You see, when playing DAV, I wondered how such a village could exist in Arlathan Forest, inhabited by both elves and humans and a human mayor to boot. How is this possible?

Well, thankfully, the worldbuilding we’ve done a little earlier gives us the perfect way out: D’Meta’s Crossing is the settlement Clan Morlyn and the Antaam survivors constructed for themselves after deciding to build a community together. This is where the civilised, non-fighting part that isn’t the Veil Jumpers resides.

However, I am going to change the character of the mayor. Instead of a generic slimy human guy, this rewrite’s version of the mayor is an elven man named Venalin, who is also the Keeper of Clan Morlyn. The idea here really is to show just how much the Dalish of Arlathan Forest were willing to adapt due to necessity.

Our goal in D’Meta’s Crossing is to find Strife and Bellara to fully get our little expedition going. But first, we can do some initial exploration of the settlement:

Instead of it being a regular human-built village as it aesthetically is made out to be in the game, D’Meta’s Crossing is a bit of a mix of cultures: It’s primarily Dalish, we can see how the foundations used to be Clan Morlyn. There are repurposed aravels everywhere, and shepherds are taking care of halla on the outskirts. A great vhenadahl stands in the centre, invoking memories of the city elves. But then there are also normal human-made houses, as well as several collections of tents here and there. It’s a fun place to look at! Kinda chaotic, but also strangely idyllic.

We can run into Eldrin, Davrin’s uncle figure, who is the chief halla shepherd here. As we established earlier, all elves of Arlathan Forest were absorbed into Clan Morlyn and the Veil Jumpers, so it only makes sense for him to be here. He can even mention Davrin if we talk to him and wonder how he’s doing, softly setting him up for later.

We hear whispers about the Blue Wraith, who is, of course, Fenris. He used to roam Arlathan Forest and hunt down slavers. But when the time came for the forest’s inhabitants to band together, he left.

Last but not least, we get to meet our parents, in this case our biological Dalish mother and our human stepfather. We exchange in a few pleasantries and can actually establish the family dynamic between us.

NOTE: In this World State, Fenris survived and Danarius is dead, allowing him to fully embrace the mantle of the Blue Wraith.

An Old Friend

When we reach Strife, he is currently in a meeting with Keeper Venalin, Irelin, and, as, of course, needs to happen, Varric Tethras. Strife introduces us as Aldwir, the leader of the upcoming expedition into Arlathan Crater. Here we get to really see that Strife grew up as a city elf. He just has that connection with outsiders that only the rarest Dalish elves possess. Keeper Venalin is, of course, known to us. Since we’re playing a Dalish elf here, he is extra fond and respectful towards us.

Varric, of course, knows Strife and Irelin from the Missing comics. He doesn’t know Aldwir, though. In our exchange with him, we can establish just how Dalish we are. Despite Clan Morlyn now containing non-elves, do we act as forthcoming to actual outsiders, or are we cordial and respectful?

Since Merrill is part of the Veil Jumpers in this World State, however, the two share a heartfelt reunion, and we learn that it was actually Varric who encouraged her to join up in the first place. That will immediately make him a more respected figure among the Veil Jumpers as Merrill is one of the best historians and researchers around, equal only to Bellara. This reunion carries a sombre tone, however, as Hawke is presumed dead, and both can relate to that feeling.

Speaking of Bellara, Strife tells us that she’s already gone scouting ahead and awaits us at the entrance to the cave, where we shall commence the expedition together.

When we announce or readiness to depart, we make our way to an aravel repurposed for aquatic travel and set sail across Arlathan Crater.

Arlathan Crater

As we sail across the great lake that once supposedly hosted the great city of Arlathan, we get some really atmospheric shots of Arlathan Forest and truly get a feel for how magical and ancient this place is. This origin story must really come across as a proper adventure, where we’re hunting for old relics and uncovering ancient history, almost like an Indiana Jones film.

We get to have some conversations with Strife, Irelin, Varric, and Merrill, especially with the latter two. When Merrill wonders what brought Varric here in the first place, Varric dodges the topic a little and promises to tell her later. All he can say is he’s on a search. Another quest for the remnants of the Inquisition, perhaps?

As we pass some ruins sticking out of the water, we get a short history lesson on how Tevinter sunk the city into the ground with their blood mages long ago and we can react accordingly, establishing Aldwir’s personality a little more.

This is also a good point to establish how wild the magic of Arlathan Forest is. Strife and Irelin are specifically coming with us to shield the island we’re on from collapsing back into the waters while we’re off investigating underground.

Meeting Bellara

We then arrive on a small island far out on the lake, and find Bellara’s own, smaller boat. Bellara herself has already set up a whole campsite in front of the cave, which looks more like a looming crack into the voids of the earth.

After some back and forth that shows us Bellara’s sheer excitement for what we’re about to do, it’s time to depart into the crack. Strife and Irelin remain above and Varric asks to come along as the fourth member of our little expedition. Strangely enough, however, Merrill is against it. She seems strangely erratic all of a sudden. She really doesn’t want Varric down there. But she can’t properly explain why. So, here we have our first big choice:

Do we let Varric accompany us as a fourth member to this expedition?

Or do we listen to Merrill and have him stay on the surface?

I’m choosing to play Aldwir as willing to cooperate with the outside world in honour of Clan Morlyn letting non-elves into their midst, and my stepfather being a human man, so that’s what we’re going with. Merrill seems resigned to something but whatever we try to gauge the answer from her, she won’t speak up.

The Crater Ruins

We descend into the crater and soon find ourselves traversing a great selection of underground passages. As we do so, we get to see a few strange and marvellous things:

Hardened glass from Ancient Elvhenan through which we can see into the waters of Arlathan Crater. We do, indeed, see great ruins from days long past, claimed by the millennia-old waters. Fishes and other aquatic creatures make their home here. Somewhere in the distance, we see a faint strange glow through one of the windows.

We come across some ancient murals on the walls, depicting June, the elven god of Craftsmanship. This is either a temple to him, or the house of an elven nobleman who was dedicated to him in particular. On some of the murals, we see what appear to be eluvians, with one great mirror in the centre. It’s very blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s there.

At one point, Merrill pulls Varric aside and encourages him to leave while Aldwir and Bellara aren’t listening. She warns him that there are hidden dangers down here, which she doesn’t want to expose him to. Varric states that he’s faced Kirkwall and Corypheus, he can handle an underwater ruin.

At some point, we suddenly sense a strange magical reverberation go through the ruins, and we’re attacked by a bunch of ancient guardian constructs. After defeating them, we sense a great surge of magic from deeper within the ruins and follow it, albeit cautiously.

The Great Gate

At some point, we reach a huge gate, which is secured by two complex locking mechanisms. In order to open it, we need to enter two separate rooms and solve the puzzles within. They’re not going to be too outrageously hard, but still enough of a challenge to get one thinking.

The first room features another mural of June and a fractured dragon statue. We have to magically put it back together to access the locking mechanism. The dragon’s shape is strangely reminiscent of Urthemiel, the Archdemon of the Fifth Blight, but in a non-corrupted, beautiful form.

The second room is almost entirely flooded and features a similar puzzle to the first. But this time, the statue we have to reassemble is one of June himself. At this point, it’s clear we’re in some kind of temple dedicated to the god.

Once the statues are reassembled, it almost looks like they’re facing each other across the rooms. But why are June and a dragon that looks suspiciously like Urthemiel connected? Well, those who played the game already know the lore answer, but I’m going to present these connections in a bit of a slower way than Solas expositioning it all to us.

It's safe to say that Bellara is absolutely ecstatic about all this and has the time of her life, while Merrill, whom we know to be passionate about elvhen history from DA2, is surprisingly quiet.

Suspicious Behaviour

As soon as we’re about to enter through the gate, Merrill suddenly looks as though she’s having a collapse of some sort. Tired, she sits down and closes her eyes. Varric is, understandably, worried about her, but a moment later, she’s back to normal. What was that? What is going on? At this point, our Aldwir is getting a little suspicious. First the insistence of keeping Varric out of here, now this. What is going on? Does Merrill perhaps know more about this place than us? Is there something she’s not telling us?

As Merrill starts to slowly break under the pressure, Varric steps in and defends her from our questioning. Had we not taken him along, we might have heard more here. But now, all we can do is press on and watch for anything perilous.

The Hammer of June

As we descend further into this strange Temple of June, we slowly advance to the bottom of Arlathan Crater, where that odd building with the glowing windows could be seen earlier.

We make our way through the remaining passages, fighting a few guardian constructs along the way, until we enter what appears to be some sort of inner sanctum. A large but defect eluvian decorates the back wall.

In a glowing bubble-like sphere, presumably the source of the glow, we see a hammer, and it’s the most magnificent hammer we have ever laid our eyes upon. It’s as long as a staff and infused with lyrium and, since we’re a mage and can sense it, the raw magic of the Fade.

Bellara and Merrill share a historical geek-out moment as they both immediately come to the conclusion that this must be the Hammer of June, the ancient tool the God of Craftsmanship used to build the very foundations of Arlathan, among other works of beauty. If it’s not that, then at least it must be something similar.

As a Dalish elf, we have a moment of absolute reverence that we may have found something that truly belonged to one of our gods.

You can see that I have changed something here: Unlike in the game, not everyone knows the truth about the Evanuris here. Of course, some do, some of the Southern Dalish clans know, some elves in the North know, but not everyone. This is to set up something later in the game.

Now we are presented with another choice:

Do we return to Strife and Irelin and ask for Veil Jumper backup to safely remove the hammer?

Or do we attempt to remove it by ourselves right now? The risk is greater, but oh boy, so is the reward.

Merrill encourages getting Veil Jumper back-up, as does Varric, for wow does he have experiences with ancient things exploding. Bellara, however, wants to remove and examine it right now. As a very curious Dalish elf, we agree with her and choose to try and remove it now. Something about that greatly seems to upset Merrill.

So, in order to free the hammer from this strange bubble, we would have to somehow dismantle this complex mechanism that’s somehow still intact after all those millennia.

Upon exploring, we find a lyrium-infused base. However, in order to fully access the mechanism, one requires blood magic. Since Merrill is with us, she reveals her blood mage powers to us, willing to spill her own blood to open the bubble. Bellara, however, offers to use her own magic to access the intricate system built by the ancient elves (I refuse to call it Technomancy because that just does not fit into the DA setting). Now we have another choice:

Do we let Merrill go through with the blood magic ritual?

Or do we let Bellara tinker around with the mechanism?

So, at this point, my Aldwir is a bit suspicious of Merrill’s erratic behaviour early on and chooses to trust Bellara on this one. Besides, blood magic isn’t exactly great and my Dalish knows that.

Giving our go-ahead, Bellara begins to slowly override the mechanism’s magic with her own. The base flares up, but then begins to crack. Before we can do anything else, the bubble shatters and the hammer falls onto the ground.

However, this unorthodox approach has awoken something as we hear the ground shake. Then, a gigantic construct shaped like an elven warrior appears from below. It bears June’s vallaslin, which begin to glow. This ensues a boss battle, where we have to destroy the Sentinel of June.

During the battle, the entire room slowly gets wrecked and water starts spilling in. In the end, the Sentinel of June is defeated, but we are left severely beaten and battered.

Betrayal

As we struggle to take the hammer and deliver it to the surface, the great eluvian in the back suddenly comes to life. An entire gang of elves bursts through, led by a tall elf with long white hair.

Varric is stunned, for he recognises the man, albeit faintly. “Abelas?” he asks, confused.

Yes, this scene marks the return of Abelas from DAI. Yes, he could theoretically have been stabbed in the back by Morrigan, but there is nothing to say that he couldn’t have survived that wound.

NOTE: In this World State, the Inquisitor respected the ancient ways of the Temple of Mythal and completed the rituals.

Abelas quickly corrects Varric and refers to himself as Revas. He no longer stands for sorrow but for freedom. For he is now the Dread Wolf’s lieutenant, very much committed to aiding him in his plans to restore Elvhenan. The elves we are facing are agents of Fen’Harel.

So yeah…I know the recent AMA on Reddit revealed that Solas broke off contact with his agents a while ago, but…I don’t really like this, I’m gonna be real. Why have this big set-up at the end of Trespasser only to explain it away in a Reddit post?

So, for this rewrite, the agents of Fen’harel are very much active and Abelas, now going by Revas, is their leader.

And it is here where we are hit with a very unfortunate truth: Merrill is an agent of Fen’Harel, sent specifically to infiltrate the Veil Jumpers and get first-hand intel on the recovery of ancient elven artefacts that Solas might need for his plans. And he definitely requires the Hammer of June. This was Merrill’s final mission. When she went dizzy and sleepy earlier, she was actually letting Revas know that they could come along and collect the hammer. And that’s why she didn’t want Varric coming along.

So yeah, if we choose to play the Veil Jumpers as our origin story, we get a much earlier look at Solas’ plans, as the agents of Fen’harel are our direct faction enemies.

Varric is absolutely dumbfounded by this revelation and can only ask Merrill why she would ever join the Dread Wolf, knowing what he plans to do. Merrill begins to break down, but before she can form an answer, Revas interrupts the conversation by claiming the hammer.

We are now engaged in another boss battle, this time against Revas and the agents of Fen’Harel. Had we followed through with Merrill’s blood magic ritual, we would ironically have better odds now as the Sentinel of June wouldn’t have awoken and wrecked the place earlier.

Revas absolutely wrecks us. Then, he offers Bellara and Aldwir, given our Dalish heritage, the chance to join Fen’harel right now and live to see the old world restored. But both of us are too stunned by the fact that the Dread Wolf is among us. Imagine being a Norse pagan in real life and finding out that Loki has returned and is currently planning to kickstart Ragnarök. That’s pretty much what we’re going through right now with our Aldwir.

Before we can even properly contemplate this idea, Varric interjects and chastises Revas and the other elves for wanting to doom the people they share a world with right now. This angers Revas, for he is an ancient elf and shares Solas’ notion that the Veil is a mistake. He uses the hammer to deliver an absolutely brutal blow to us and the whole facility, which begins to finally crumble beneath the weight of Arlathan Crater. The last thing we see before we get absolutely crushed by the water is Revas ordering the elves to retreat through the eluvian, including Merrill. She gives us one last incredibly heartbroken look, and follows through. Revas disappears last and the eluvian goes dark, before shattering.

Aldwir, Bellara, and Varric are swept away by the waters of Arlathan Crater. Bellara is able to cast a spell that shields her and Varric from the impact, but Aldwir is thrown in a completely different direction. We then lose our conscience.

Rescue

Aldwir is faintly drifting in the waters of Arlathan Crater, until, quite unexpectedly, a large fish picks us up and carries us to the surface. There, we are lifted into the air by Strife, who levitates us onto our aravel. The fish jumps into the air and turns back to Irelin, who lands on deck. Yeah…for those who haven’t read Tevinter Nights: Irelin is actually a shapeshifter. No idea why they didn’t include that part of her character in DAV.

Healing

We wake up at our parent’s house in D’Meta’s Crossing, where Ashara, our mother, tends to our wounds.

She informs us that Varric and the Veil Jumpers saved us from certain death in Arlathan Crater. At this stage, we can show Aldwir being a bit vulnerable should we choose to. It’s not often that we get to interact with actual parental figures in DA.

Beldon, our father, joins the conversation and asks if maybe now is the time to take a little break from the Veil Jumpers.

When we head outside, Strife, Irelin, and Varric await us. Bellara is nowhere to be seen and we are told she has already returned to Arlathan Forest, in preparation for a new expedition, as she needs to get her mind focused now.

It is here where we find out that all three already knew that the Dread Wolf has returned and seeks to restore the ancient world of Elvhenan. What we just saw down there is but a fraction of his agents. Varric still can’t believe Merrill is among them and wonders what the Dread Wolf could have possibly done to convince her.

We also learn the true reason for Varric’s visit: he needs to recruit someone in his fight against the Dread Wolf. He was of the assumption that the Veil Jumpers were the perfect place to look. And it seems that he was right, as Aldwir is standing right there.

The implication is clear: we are to leave the Veil Jumpers and join Varric on his quest. We can either protest or accept immediately. Since my Aldwir is very much devoted to the cause, we shall object at first. But then Strife and Irelin let us know that Merrill may not even have been the only agent of Fen’Harel planted amidst the Veil Jumpers. And now they would know who we are if we reveal our survival. Joining Varric is a perfect cover-up, and they would never see us coming.

We are also encouraged to change our name for the duration of this whole affair. And here we get the Veil Jumper origin of our nickname: when we were still a child, we used to play chess in the evenings, on a board our father had secured from outside. The Rook was our favourite piece. This is told to us by our father, btw, causing for a slightly embarrassing scene. So, half-heartedly, we suggest Rook as our nickname. Varric accepts. “The strongest piece on the chessboard. I like it.”

Leaving D’Meta’s Crossing

We are given a bit of time to pack our things and join Varric outside the village. There are a few things we can do here:

We can, and will, of course, give our parents a heartfelt goodbye family hug.

We can talk to Keeper Venalin and maybe risk urging him to look for anything suspicious among the people of D’Meta’s Crossing. But who knows…maybe he’s in on it? It’s certainly a choice.

We can bid Strife and Irelin goodbye before they return to the Veil Jumper camp. They wish us good luck on our journey and hope to see us again soon. We can express our frustration with losing the Hammer of June, but they don’t hold it against us. Nobody could have foreseen what happened.

Once we’re done, we join Varric and express our readiness to leave. Going by Rook from now on, we accompany our new dwarven friend into the wilds of Arlathan Forest. As we reach a small hill, we turn back to view the almost idyllic nightly image of Arlathan Crater, D’Meta’s Corssing, and the Veil Jumper camp in the woods. We turn back and follow Varric into the unknown.

And there we have it! This is my proposed Veil Jumper origin story. Of course, it’s not perfect, not even close, but it’s a start, isn’t it? Let me know what you think! Next time, we shall head to Treviso and explore an origin story for the Antivan Crows. Stay tuned!

Rewriting Veilguard Part 5 - The Antivan Crows

[viperbunnies]

OC's Masterlist . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

-> Some Ocs that you’ll see in this blog from time to time!

(Chibis above used bases from here Credit goes to Takiimikiku for the poses)

MAIN UNIVERSE TWST OCS: - Arranged from Ramshackle to the respective dorm’s book appearance 📽️ Yuudai “Yuu” ??? 📷 (They/them) - “Ramshackle’s Prefect” - Based on the ingame yuu! - The magicless prefect of NRC, an amnesiac with little to no recollection of their former world. Serving as Grim’s Guardian, they’re trying to find a way back home. - Twisted/Inspiration: Mickey mouse-ish - Ship: Sebek 🔮Oswald “OZ” Damarys 🐇 (They/he) - “Voice of the self  /  Echo of the self” - A sophomore belonging to Ramshackle, They assist the Prefect in their day to day endeavors serving as a guide. They have both amazing and terrible luck, always finding themselves in situations they don’t want to deal with, yet still escaping in one piece. How far will their luck take them? - Twisted/Inspirations: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, The rabbit in the moon, (kinda? The china girl in Oz) - Ship: Jamil, (...Silver) -> More about them here! (WIP) 🦅Quincy Royale🦅(He/Him) - “Royal Flush / Fallen king of Eagles” - A Junior from Heartslabyul— polite and pristine, yet with an intense presence. He was a candidate for Housewarden, however he failed the duel. There are still some students who would’ve preferred that he became the housewarden, however he has resigned from all responsibilities. Choosing to enjoy his time alone. Nowadays, his kind words no longer sound so genuine. - Twisted/Inspirations: The forgotten 5th card: Eagle, also slightly the White Queen from the live action ig - Ship: None -> More about them here (WIP)

🐯 Kaden Tigerlily🐯 (He/him) - “Solitary Fiend / Forest’s Warden” - A freshman from Savannaclaw, a joyful beastman who always has a bounce to his step. He looks up to his house warden, calling him brother (Since they’re both cats–) For the longest time he was rumored to be the missing child of a Royal Couple, (until it was proven true). Suddenly becoming the heir to the throne, he has been trying to reach out to the only other prince he knows. - Twisted/Inspirations: Tigger, Sophia the first - Ship: Leona (Familial/Platonic) - Note: His relationship with Leona is strictly platonic! -> More about them here! (WIP) 🔱 Hadrian “Heidi” Regalis🔱(He/him) - “Tide-culler  / Youngest Favorite Prince” - The youngest prince from the deeper ends of the ocean, after his brother took the throne he decided that he wants to see what else life has in store for him. Mischievous and far from a prince, he likes to cause chaos in the places he appears in. - Twisted/Inspirations: Ariel (Kindaa? But also not really…) - Ship: None -> More about them here! (WIP) 🐠Ma. Kayla Naomi "Kana" Sirinan🐠(They/She) - “Desert Tougher / Oasis Seeker” - A Sophomore from Scarabia, a mermaid from the tropical sea, talented in music and stringed instruments. They act as a mediator between the dysfunctional duo. They have a slight sass to them, and can come off as intense— yet despite that they’re a gentle soul who have a simple dream in life. To live it to the fullest. - Twisted/Inspirations: None tbh I saw a cool fish and wanted a pretty mermaid. I guess I got some of her personality traits from Nani. - Ship: Dmitri -> More about them here! (WIP) 🍇Dmitri Nikolaev🍇(He/him) - “Swindler of beauty / The Price of Beauty” - Deceptively perfect, and hopelessly devoted to his housewarden— whom he idolizes to an unhealthy degree. Despite the fact that he’s been revered for his beauty, he refuses to look at any mirror, claiming that what lies there is an ugly monster. - Twisted/Inspirations: Grimm’s brothers Snow white: The comb and the bodice. - Ship: Kana -> More about them here! (WIP)

🍡Clyde Myosotis🍡 (They/he) - “Astute Legacy / Escapee of the underworld” - A freshman from Ignihyde— a mermaid who has lost the ability to swim due to a fishing accident. Ever since then they’ve stayed on the surface with their guardians. A talented inventor with a sharp tongue. He works hard for his craft, and takes socializing as the last of his interest.  - Twisted/Inspirations: The River Lethe - Ship: Idia (Platonic– They have a mentor/mentee kinda relationship) - Note: His relationship with Idia is strictly platonic! -> More about them here! (WIP) 🌪️ Mori Cadavere 🌪️(He/Him) - “Wandering guardian / Vagrant Of Faes” - A strange student that appears in the school every now and then. He’s always watching and observing people from above. No one knows what kind of person he is— only hanging around Dmitri (who people refuse to approach) - Twisted/Inspirations: The vultures that keep appearing disney movies hshsh - Ship: None -> More about them here! (WIP)

FANKIDS TWST OC: 🦂Emir Viper 🦂 - wip

💎Haniya Viper 💎 - wip

[skyhavens]

i know it’s still early so you might be holding off on developing too much, but do you have any jehanne info you can/feel comfy sharing? 👀 her aesthetic is already 👌

me? holding off on developing an oc? 💗

seriously, though, i appreciate your interest in her so much because i've been fully consumed by her, lmao.

as for bare bones development, jehanne is an orlesian grey warden. she's elven, too, and was born in a small village outside of highever. under the cut is... hm. i got a little carried away, but it's most of what i've thought up for her so far!

only a child of two when the blight hit ferelden, her parents took her and her older brother and followed the small horde of refugees pouring into jader in order to escape the darkspawn threat. her father was extraordinarily strong for an elf and handy besides, and he proved beyond helpful to both his fellow refugees on the road and also the townspeople (and wardens) of jader. he was a hunter, you see, beyond his smattering of other skills. he provided for his village at the behest of the bann whose property stretched well into the forest that separated their village from his bannorn. and accustomed to having permission to provide, her father did that very same thing when he saw his wife and his children and the hundreds of refugees beginning to starve. except, they were no longer in ferelden, and the bann remained in his castle back home. it was lady seryl who led jader, and it was lady seryl who heard of the slain bucks and rabbits and the caught fish. not wanting to seem overly unkind to the refugees who crowded the perimeter of her city, she offered them permission to hunt... after condemning jehanne's father for doing it without that same permission. the wardens were quick to interfere, as ever. they offered her father a place among them to avoid lady seryl's ax. he accepted, of course, worried for his family, though they would not be his family for much longer. as always, little went as according to their plan. disease swept through the fereldan refugee camp, burning as quick and as hot as fire-kissed straw. her mother and brother were counted among the dead, and she was brought to the wardens' keep in jader to be looked over by her father rather than handed off to some other family just for her to meet the same fate.

her father died in the joining. there were murmurs that this was because he was grieving for his wife and his son, fearful for what would become of his daughter. others claimed that grief had naught to do with it. but in the end, the cause did not matter. her father was dead, and the wardens of jader had a two year old girl to look after.

jehanne had only known the names darling and treasure before the death of her parents. they had not yet chosen a name for her, and so, the wardens were given another task involving the girl. it was a former minstrel who named her, weaving the name jehanne into one of the only songs that helped the child sleep.

she was a lovely child -- easily raised and clever, with an adventurous streak that some of the wardens encouraged and the others condemned. she was raised by each of them, in one way or another. every lesson conflicted with another, though she was quick to figure out which of them was utter nonsense.

the warden she clung to hardest was a fereldan, just like her. warden loghain mac tir was brought into the keep a year after she'd arrived, and she stuck to his side like an auburn-headed shadow. he had some experience with daughters, she learned, and he was the gentlest when it came to brushing her hair.

though she had barely known her parents and did not remember the loss of them, growing up in a warden's keep acquainted her with grief quickly enough. whether it was the calling or darkspawn or some other threat, she lost a fair few of her protectors as she grew up. but rather than that stopping her from wanting to become a warden, rather than letting the fear of death absolutely consume her, it only made her more desperate to join their ranks.

when she wasn't learning, she was training. and when she wasn't training, she was resting, musing, dreaming about heroics that she'd only ever heard in the mouth of her bard of a mother.

loghain did his best by her. he attempted to instill a certain amount of patience in her to no avail, and when he realized that those particular lessons were not taking, he picked up his bow and taught her that, as well as the sword and shield she'd taken to like a fish to water.

better to be well-armed, well-trained, and foolish than simply foolish, he grunted.

and she learned. everything he put before her, she devoured with as much enthusiasm, no matter how quickly she took to the weapon or the fighting style. even when she ended up bruised and battered, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

this continued for years and years after. when loghain left jader to travel with hawke, she continued. when the men and women who took care of her left to pursue their calling, even long before they should have, she continued. and when they returned, red-faced, she was still there, still doggedly pursuing the same path.

after everything they had seen, the wardens of jader did not want her to take the joining.

but they also did not have the heart to deny her the opportunity.

[danaduchy]

Aedan stifled a chuckle as another branch snapped under Alistair’s foot. The former templar winced and muttered an apology, but it was too late. Theron Mahariel, their Dalish companion, had already turned to glare at him, eyes sharp and full of exasperation. The elf moved like a ghost through the forest, his bow drawn but held loosely at his side, always ready to fire.

"Enough!" Theron hissed, his voice barely louder than the rustling leaves. His irritation was palpable. "Why don't you two go back to the camp? I can do this on my own."

Alistair, always the awkward one in moments like these, glanced sheepishly at Aedan, seeking support but finding none. "It’s the armor," Alistair whispered defensively, trying to explain himself. "It’s not exactly quiet, you know."

Theron scoffed, his frown deepening. "You stomp around like a bear on a rampage! Every beast in this forest knows we’re here now. Heavy armor for hunting? Really? You want everyone from here to Orzammar to hear you?"

Aedan, who had been leaning against a tree, arms crossed, watching the exchange with amusement, had to admit he wasn’t faring much better than Alistair. Sneaking around the castle as a child had been a walk in the park compared to moving silently through a forest teeming with life, where every misstep betrayed them. But Theron—Theron moved differently. The elf seemed to glide between the trees, his steps so light they barely left a trace. His movements were second nature, as if he were born to blend into the wilderness.

“What about Aedan?” Alistair complained, not wanting to be the only one reprimanded. “He’s stomping too!”

Theron narrowed his eyes at Alistair, though the tension was easing. “At least he’s trying to be quiet,” the Dalish hunter grumbled, turning back to the forest, bow at the ready.

Aedan grinned, clapping Alistair on the shoulder. "He's right, Alistair. Let's head back before we scare away everything within a hundred miles." Theron’s hunting skills were something of legend among their group. If anyone could bring back something to eat, it was the elf.

"Just... don’t expect me to share my spoils if you’re sitting in camp while I do all the work."

Alistair sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That seems fair. We’ll just... uh... help cook whatever you catch?"

Aedan chuckled again, turning to follow Alistair back through the forest. "Maybe Morrigan will cook for us," he said, half-joking. "Though she’s more likely to hex us if we ask her for a favor."

Alistair groaned. "Maker’s breath, no. I’d rather eat whatever we can scavenge than ask Morrigan to cook. Maybe we can ask Daylen to hunt"

Aedan snickered at the memory. The last time they’d gone hunting, Daylen Amell—their new companion—had cast a spell to freeze a deer in place as it bolted, much to Theron’s chagrin. Though the act had saved them from going hungry that night, Theron had made it clear that magic was cheating, and the elf had refused to acknowledge Daylen’s “success” as a proper hunt. It didn’t stop Amell from laughing about it for days afterward, and Aedan and Alistair had earned their fair share of mocking for their own failed attempts to bring down game without magical assistance.

Aedan glanced back through the trees, where Theron was already disappearing into the underbrush, "We should be grateful we have him. He’s probably the best hunter we’ve got."

Alistair nodded reluctantly, eyes on the forest as well. "True. If it weren’t for Theron, we’d be stuck eating whatever Morrigan could conjure up, and Maker knows that probably wouldn’t end well."

They continued back toward the camp, though Aedan’s mind lingered on Theron’s prowess. The elf had grown quieter since they recruited him, his mood darkened by the loss of his clan and the responsibilities that had been thrust upon him by the taint. The ritual had saved his life, but Aedan knew well the burden of joining the Grey Wardens and what it cost. They were all bound to that fate now.

A wolf’s howl echoed faintly in the distance, drawing both men to a halt. Alistair frowned, instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"That wolf’s been following us for a while," Aedan said, glancing over his shoulder. "Theron’s pet, if I’m not mistaken."

"Pet?" Alistair raised an eyebrow.

Aedan grinned. "More like a companion. That wolf’s been shadowing us ever since we left the Dalish camp. If Theron wanted him gone, he would have been gone. I think we’ve just picked up another traveling companion."

A soft growl came from behind them, and a large wolf padded into view. Theron’s wolf, no doubt. The animal was impressive, with gleaming eyes and a coat that seemed to blend into the forest itself. It stopped a few paces behind them, sitting down as if waiting for orders.

“I suppose he’s coming along, then,” Aedan said with a grin. He gave the wolf a nod, half-tempted to make a quip about it being better behaved than Alistair.

“Lovely,” Alistair muttered, eyes narrowing at the wolf. “If it starts howling at night, don’t expect me to get any sleep.”

They continued on, though Aedan found himself quietly admiring Theron’s bond with the wolf. He’d always thought the Dalish were remarkable, living so close to nature and forging connections with the wild in ways city-dwellers like him could never fully understand. Though he might not be able to move like Theron or bond with animals the way the Dalish elf did, he had to admit he admired the elf’s skill and grace.

“Maybe next time we go hunting, we’ll let Theron handle it from the start,” Aedan suggested with a smile.

Alistair let out a dry laugh. “Agreed. My armor and I were never built for sneaking through forests.”

[astridellejo]

Tuli Kossa

Art for my first Daggerheart character, Tuli Kossa. They are a Wanderborne Faerie Druid, Warden of the Elements.

After seeing Critical Role's livestream of the open beta playtest, I gotta say this system looks really promising! I really like how the combat didn't bring the narrative or the roleplay or even the player interactions to a grinding halt. Everything flowed very nicely and it really encouraged spontaneous creativity. I might have to get some dice now.

Tuli's lore below the cut:

Tuli was born to a nomadic tribe of taiga elves and raised to survive and thrive in the cold northern forests, becoming quite capable at bushcraft. One autumn not long after Tuli's eighth birthday, they fell very ill and appeared to have died. The tribe moved on, leaving Tuli's body in the forest to become part of it once more. But instead of decaying, it began to scab over until it was a mass of hardened flesh.

In the spring, a new creature emerged from this flesh chrysalis, the faerie form of Tuli. Now far smaller and lighter than their former elven child body, Tuli looked like a strange amalgam of elf and dragonfly with shimmering blue and purple iridescence on their carapace and skin and wings. With this metamorphosis came a loss of voice and speech, but a gain of pheromone awareness of the world around them.

No longer a part of a tribe, Tuli had to rely on their bushcraft to survive, and a new expertise in stealth to avoid being preyed upon by other creatures, including one which seemed to be on the hunt for them.

Now age 19 and alone for a decade, Tuli seeks out civilization and a new tribe to call family.

[melxhunter]

A WARRIOR’S VOYAGE

"With the sins of the sun and the sadness in the sky, you shall wonder why the universe never loved you back."

— In a world overrun by the corrupt and mad, driven by lust, greed, egoism, desire and obsessionalism, having a sweet and innocent nature always ends with death. Being honorable and having a strong moral compass is viewed as something ethereal one can only dream of.

That being said, her chances were slim. But she wasn't going to let that stop her.

It was winning or dying.

And Fiyona Mormont was not ready to die.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE…

HOUSE MORMONT of Bear Island is a vassal House which holds fealty to House Stark of Winterfell, to the Warden of the North. They had always been a small House – it was no secret. But somehow, that alone just made them even prouder.

It didn't matter how many overlooked the island's inhabitants and failed to see the whole picture. For even if most didn't fully realize it, House Mormont was fearsome enemies but also excellent allies. Even if they indeed are a very small house.

Their ancestral home of Bear Island is an island far to the northwest of Winterfell, its location and densely forested areas with a large bear population the main reasons to why it's the home to mostly woodsmen, crofters and fisherfolk. Despite that, Bear Island was one of the places within the Seven Kingdoms known for their skilled warriors. Known for how impeccable they were at sword fighting.

Not only that, but Bear Island was also one of the few subcultures within Westeros with an tradition of female fighters. You see, over the age of time, there had always been dangers of imminent attack from ironborn raiding ships while the men were out at sea which eventually led to the women of Bear Island being expected to defend their homes from attacks. Sometimes it even was attacks from wildings who avoided the wall completely by using boats to cross the bay from the Frozen Shore.

Thus people who hail from Bear Island are mostly strong, hardy, loyal and deep down compassionate and kindhearted. When they know what needs to be done, they don't hesitate to take action.

Fiyona Mormont was no exception. The young she-bear was taught to be a warrior from an early age, and she had always known the true horrors of the world, known about the monsters hiding in the shadows since the early stages of her youth.

Fiyona was no stranger to death either, for she had watched the life leave disappear from the animals which she hunted, even watched the life slip away from her father's eyes. It was horrible, but she knew it was a part of the harsh world she lived in.

Nothing could ever change it. It was the way it was, the way it always had been and always would remain.

What Fiyona was a stranger to, however, was love. Not the kind of love you receive from your mother, a sibling or a dear friend. No, Fiyona was a stranger to the kind of ethereal love which exists between two souls. Between two hearts which ignites in such a heated flame whenever they're near one another.

Not even in her life as Mia Nordin had she ever experienced it... not that she remembered that life...yet.

As the Seven Kingdoms seemed to hold its breath while preparing itself for yet another war, completely amid the world where greed and power reign supreme, Fiyona's life collides with a another's...under arranged circumstances.

Thus began the story of Fiyona Mormont and Robb Stark. Two young humans who would change the course of the game itself.

The future Warden of the North and the former heiress of Bear Island.

The Young Wolf and the She-Wolf.

The King and Queen in the North.

As brave as the dusk & as fierce as the storm.

Fiyona Mormont's tale is filled with broken pieces, terrible choices, betrayals and ugly truths. In spite of those parts indeed being heavy and literally true, they are nevertheless misleading. For the tale is also filled with happiness, heroism, love, humanity, kindness and peace in her soul.

It's an entangled tale in which a black bear is forced to run with the wolves only discover she was one of them all along.

A tale of the wild wolves and the black bear.

Interested to read more? Then check out the story A Warrior’s Voyage on my wattpad profile melxhunter!!

[end-l3ss-v0id]

TWST OC WIKI

picrew - 禄の男子メーカー | Picrew - The Character Maker & Creator

BIO

Name - Levi Valkyrie Gender - Trans Male (He/They) Age - 17 Birthday - September 28th (libra) Height - 157.48 cm or 5'2 Dominant hand - right Homeland - Silverwood Forest Family •Inara Valkyrie (father) • Evelyn Valkyrie (mother) • Illiya Valkyrie (older sister)

SCHOOL

Grade - 3rd year Class -Class E Club - founder of the art club Best Subject - summoning

PREFERNECES

Hobbies - Voice acting, drawing and playing video games Pet Peeves - people touching his stuff and group work Favorite Food - Shredded chicken w/ rice Least Favorite food -mostly everything. talent - drawing

APPERANCE

Levi is a short-ish male with somewhat pale skin from lack of sunlight. His eyes are a deep shade of brown and have faint eyebags under them from his messed-up sleep schedule. His hair is brown and mostly tied up in a ponytail all of the time, sometimes he lets it down, like when he's around the dorm.

DORM UNIFORM

believe it or not he doesn't wear the dorm uniform, he just walks around in his pjs.

PERSONALITY

Levi is more of what people would describe as a Ambivert; he's not too fond of people but he doesn't like to be entirely alone. At first, he seems a bit awkward and shy, not social at all and hesitates to speak with others. However, once you get to know him a bit more, he'll start to get more comfortable and socialize a bit more, he's a bit whacky when you get to the high extrovert type of him.

BACKGROUND (TW - implied situations, these are situations that have happened to the MOD)

Levi is not a fan of being touched by people he's not close with or people who aren't his sister/mother/father. A key factor to these is throughout childhood he was given internet access to early and got pictures of things he shouldn't have seen at his age and 2 instances at his former school that took a small mental toll on him from 2 main things. (One involving physical contact and one more of a very much illegal threat)

Young Levi was more of the 'weird girl' as people called him due to how quiet he was and how strange he could act sometimes. But he didn't care, he stuck with his best friend throughout those years until he transferred from DuskHill to Night Raven.

TRIVIA

• Levi tends to get hurt on a daily basis; the main way he gets injured is doors. •Levi is the vice house warden of Ignhyde, he doesn't take his position seriously but will if needed to • He has a massive soft spot for cute things •He wears a binder often, sometimes too often so it causes him soreness in his back and slight breathing problems • it's implied he as a small iron defiant •Levi is the founder of the art club; he was upset that there wasn't one, so he made one! • People often say that Levi and Illiya don't look like they're related at all, it's pretty funny most of the time.

[deadlymaelstrom]

Okay, I think I have an idea on what to name my different Rooks for the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard with their profile summary and backgrounds included:

Stefano d'Baldovinetti: An assassin from Antiva and a member of the Antivan Crows. Specializing as a duelist, Stefano was hired to eliminate a target in Tevinter when he inadvertently crosses paths with Varric Tethras and Lace Harding.

Meyla: A Dalish elf from the Ralaferin clan. Due to there being too many mages within the clan, Meyla was cast out with nothing but her magical abilities and wits to keep her alive. Without a place to call home, Meyla joined the Veil Jumpers to learn more about ancient elven history in the Arlathan Forest before sensing a strong tremor in the Fade.

Alfonso Maderuelo: A young, headstrong mage of Nevarra's Mortalitasi and the Mourn Watch's newest recruit. Upon discovering an intruder sneaking into the Grand Necropolis to steal a forbidden tome, Alfonso defies the Overseer and chases the thief all the way to the border between Nevarra and Tevinter, discovering them to be an agent for the Venatori.

Olelinda Varra: A surface dwarf and member of the Carta. With her quick feet, fast hands, and sharp knife, Olelinda joined the Lords of Fortune in the hopes of accumulating great wealth in Rivain. She is in a relationship with her Qunari bodyguard, Seraan.

Seraan: A Qunari mercenary and personal bodyguard for her dwarven lover, Olelinda Varra. Originally from Par Vollen, she became disillusioned with her place among Qunari society and abandoned the Qun, effectively becoming a Tal-Vashoth. After years of killing bandits, pirates, blood mages and agents of the Ben-Hassrath, Seraan was hired the Lords of Fortune as an enforcer.

Cassius Lunaris: A mage from the Tevinter Imperium and apprentice to Magister Dorian Pavus. Born and raised in Minrathous, Cassius is of the Laetans, lower-class families with no direct lineage to Dreamers. As such, he was often looked down upon by the Imperium's upper-class: the Altus. A strong supporter of the Lucerni political faction and a knack for solving puzzles, Cassius was contacted by Neve Gallus and accepted her offer to join the Shadow Dragons, hoping to reform Tevinter from within.

Vandrad Thidriksson: A grizzled Anderfels Grey Warden veteran stationed at Weisshaupt Fortress. He was Davrin's former mentor and a rival to the Hero of Ferelden. With more than 28 years of experience, Vandrad believes the ends justify the means when dealing with darkspawn and Blights. Before he inevitably has to venture to the Deep Roads for the Calling, Vandrad prepares for what seems to be his final battle.

[maniccrystalhippie]

Cregan Stark x OC! READER

In which Cregan Stark, in an effort to create an allegiance with Andalasia, marries their queen.

The land of Andalasia was full of Magick. It's population consisted of the world's most powerful beings; witches, werewolves, faeries and all. It was a Matriarchal society, a stark opposite of Westeros.

The queen of Andalasia, Cassandra, ruled fairly and had led a reign of peace. Cassandra was the daughter of Queen Althea, the former queen and a powerful faery, and Oros, the God of War. Cassandra was the eldest of 8, and as eldest daughter, she knew it was her duty to rule. All of Althea's children had developed magickal powers and talents as they grew. Cassandra, however, was special.

Cassandra- being the only daughter of Althea that was also a demi God, was a child of prophecy.

"Bring together young and old,

In this message, you are told,

A child of fae,

A child of the gods,

Shall appear as one...

She will rule tall and proud,

Listen to her wise words,

Listen to the song of birds,

She will unite us all."

When Cassandra reached her 18th sun cycle, she was coronated. Shortly after, she was advised by her counsel to marry. After weeks of debate, it was decided that Cregan Stark, the Warden of the North in Westeros, would be a diplomatic choice. Trade between Andalsia and Westeros was weak, and it was in Cassandra's best interest to make the political tie. However, she never expected to find a love match.

On the other side of the sea, Cregan Stark felt political and familial pressure to marry. His sister, Sarah, encouraged him to find a Lady of his own. His 6 year old brother, Rickon, teased him about his bachelor hood. The day it was suggested he marry Queen Cassandra Ostyn of Andalasia, his heart quickened. She made the most sense, as a political allyship would bring a new era to their world. Cregan happily agreed, satisfied and yearning to meet his future wife.

It was agreed that Cregan and his court would travel to Andalasia to begin the courtship. The Starks of Westeros were set to arrive in Andalasia's ports on the eve of Beltain. Beltain, an early summer celebration of love and fertility, seemed to be the perfect setting.

The morning of Cregan's arrival, Cassandra decided to wear her best day gown. The forest green fabric puffed at her shoulders and slimmed at her waist. It had a ballgown silhouette, and a mesh floral cape. Cassandra hoped to atleast create a physical attraction between herself and Cregan, ensuring that they would have a decently successful marriage. Cass knew that it was rare for love to blossom in a politically arranged marriage, but she refused to give up. Her mother had taken many lovers in her life, and Cass and her siblings shared different fathers. This wasn't taboo in Andalasia, as it was common for High Bornes to have relations with anyone they please. Majority of Andalasia's rulers were bastards, and Cassandra was no exception. Her father left shortly after he 'fulfilled his duty' and Cass was left with Althea. Oros would often send trinkets and gifts to his daughter, helping her climb the steps of success. Today was no different, one of Oros' wolves appeared to her, dropping a gold locket into her palm before trotting away. Cassandra fastened it around her neck before going to greet the Starks.

Cass stood at the end of the docks, surrounded by her closest confidates. Her brother, Taryn, stood to her left, and her best friend Reg stood to her right. Her guard and unspoken father figure, Geralt, stood behind her faithfully. Other advisors stood in a small group farther away out of respect. A large mast was approaching less than 100 yards away, with a direwolf embossed into the sails. Cassandra recognized the symbol immediately and began to smooth her skirts. Her tiara sat proudly atop her head as she awaited the boat to dock.

The crew exited first, quickly fastening the sails and docking. The captain offered a polite greeting to the young royal before her attention was taken by a young man exiting the ship. He had dark curls and a half shaved head. A warriors braid trailed along his skull and he wore dark furs. Cassandra immediately knew who it was. Cregan Stark.

This is a prequel to a fic I'm considering. Would anyone be interested? I'll post the next part if anyone is<3

[sashaofravenlock]

Closed starter for @scion-of-kings

Hidden within the boundaries of Lindon's forests sat a small cave, abandoned by its former occupants long enough for it to become home to another. Many nights it provided a reasonably dry place to rest as well as an area to hide from scouts and wardens. While this resident was no predator, she wasn't prey or any being allowed to reside within the elven realm.

On this day, she finally ventured back down to the river side, abandoning her wildcat form shortly before she left the protection of the tree line. She stepped into the clearing, a young woman with ears pointed like an elf's, though too large to truly belong to their race. Both ears stood tall, shifting back and forth to catch any sign of others she wished no to be seen by, slitted pupils widening slightly as she looked around.

Satisfied that she was alone, she knelt down by the river and scooped water into her hands, taking a long drink before reaching down for more. When she had her fill, she'd scavenge for berries or roots to fill her empty stomach.

[echthr0s]

former "Warden" and "Inquisitor" Anansi Surana peeking his head into the Arlathan Forest post-failed-Solas-ritual and going "hey. only I'm allowed to imbue an area with so much weird magic that everything grows Wrong". former "Warden" and "Inquisitor" Anansi Surana then peeking his head into D'Meta's Crossing et al and going "hey. only I'm allowed to imbue an area with so much weird magic that everyth-- *holds hand up to ear as if getting a call on an earpiece* what's that? you say this is Blight? hold up." *reevaluates everything about his weird magic that makes everything grow Wrong* 🤨

[systastic]

Well, you see, Redstoner is so obscure (and old) it doesn't... have a wiki page! ^^; If you're really curious, the episode that focuses on her can be found here https://youtu(.)be/vRu-eKbCs7g at 34:08 - 41:17 and the secret messages that flash are collected here https://www.wattpad(.)com/238109665-redstoner-secrets-episode-7-part-i Genuinely very sorry for the trouble with this one, you're entirely free to pull from other smps if its easier!

oh, damn. no wonder we couldn’t find anything. since we started writing one already, i’m switching to empires smp. will def take a look at redstoner tho. seems cool. - 🪻

name :: shelby, shubble, shrub, artemis, selene, ghost, shade, “the wolf”

age :: between 23 and 27

pronouns :: she/her, lu/lun (lunaself), cy/cyn/cys/cyself,

roles :: lone wolf, imprisoner, warden

species :: warden/human hybrid

gender identity :: moonguardian, moonmaiden, fallenqueenic (will coin this one on request)

orientation :: neptunic, apothisexual

source :: wolf spirit from empires smp

aesthetic :: gloomcore, dark naturalism, villaincore

appearance description :: dark in nature, both in colors and appearance. dark teal, green so dark it looks black, obsidian black, and gold/silver palette. always seen wearing a cloak. dirt on her pants. grass stains on ankles and knees. wild hair with leaves woven through. teeth so sharp you’d mistake it for a wild thing. bruised and calloused hands. a frayed bow on her back. ragged appearance. hunter’s eyes. eyes flash when shined light on in the dark.

personality description :: stealthy, quiet, sneaky. firm on her word. does not back down from agreements made. sticks to her guns. true to her word. stubborn, resilient, able to withstand emotional force. agile and light. able to cross any border or disable any trap without so much as a sound. resting serious expression even if cyr emotions are volatile. does not often speak both to sysmates and outsiders. prefers solitude and the moon to company. soft to newborn wolf pups; protects them more than anyone else. cy fights like an animal to drive attackers back where they can’t hurt cyn loved ones.

likes :: new chances. fresh beginnings. dark forests. foggy weather. being alone at night. wandering an endless sea of trees with none but the wolves for company. being alone in the forest. hearing a wolf’s howl. being among her new pack. the silver crown atop her head. feeling bowstrings grow taut under her fingers. the smell of fresh blood. taking down a target with a single shot. licking the blood from sore fingertips. seeing justice served, trapping sinners until they are truly reformed.

dislikes :: mourning the past cy no longer has. remembering blurry faces of former friends. flashes of someone stalking cyn through the dark. bright tongues of orange flame. painful smiles, false promises, silver tongues and radiant lies. golden glimmers of royal jewels; the kind that traps one in place. seeing her forest be harmed.

front triggers :: emotional abuse, persecutors fronting (both her own system and others), moon rise, total social isolation

sign off :: 🌑, 🌓, 🐺

art source :: here

[videogame-ocs]

Canon Rook: Ariadne De Riva

Full Name: Ariadne Fenara De Riva

Age: 21

Gender: Cis Female.

Sexuality: heterosexual

Day of Birth: 5th Cloudreach (Eluviesta) 9:31 (8430 FA/ 2025 TE).

Place of Birth: Tevinter? Arlathan? It’s not really known.

Height: 5’0

Appearance: black hair tied in two braids. Dark grey eyes, dark tanned skin. A black version of Elgarnan’s Vallaslin. A scar on her left cheek and scars on her body.

Relationships:

Family-

Drusilla- adopted mother (deceased).

Elora- adopted mother (deceased)

Zevran Arainai- biological father.

Ashalla Mahariel- biological mother.

Viago De Riva- adopted older brother.

Teia Cantori- adopted sister in law.

Varric Tethras- unofficial adopted father.

Ashalle- adopted grandmother (biological mother’s guardian).

The Veilguard-

Lucanis Dellamorte- Lucanis is her former idol (or the demon of Vyrantium was rather) and the eventual love of her life.

Bellara Lutare- Bellara is like a sister to her.

Emmrich Volkarin- the only teacher she’s ever 100% listened to.

Neve Gallus- Neve is a friend who grows into being like an older sister.

Taash-Taash is like a sibling to her.

Davrin- like an older brother, they get on really well for a Crow and a Warden. Even if Lucanis and Davrin don’t all the time.

Lace Harding- Harding is basically her older sister at this point.

Assan- baby boy, she would die for Assan.

Manfred- she sees him as her little brother, loves playing rock paper scissors with him.

Skills:

Ariadne’s main skill is leadership, surprising even herself. She is a natural born leader, she’s got the skills that reflect that, especially the persuasion.

She’s also very good at magic, specifically electricity magic, she has her hiccups with it but…she’s a spell blade, she knows her way around magic and a blade.

She’s also very good at murder, she’s a crow, of course she’d be excellent at murder, even if she’s not brilliant at the rest of the stuff like clearing jumps.

Personality:

Ariadne has a great sense of humour and wit. She is always willing to stand up for the little people and what’s right. She’s also incredibly impulsive, and inattentive at some points, which means she gets into more trouble than usual. She’s incredibly brave and believes in what she thinks is right and is willing to help her friends no matter what. She does have a habit of running her mouth though. She’s also a little bit romantic.

History:

Ariadne was born as a result of a chance meeting and one night stand between Zevran Ariaini and Ashalla Mahariel in the Brecillian Forests during the fifth blight. However she was born in Tevinter after her mother fled the clan for unknown reasons. She was left with friends of her mother a mage scholar called Drusilla and her girlfriend a elf called Elora. Her mother then vanished.

Unfortunately Drusilla was killed and Elora and Ariadne were forced into slavery when she was six. She was rescued by a mysterious Crow three years later but Elora didn’t make it out at which point her magic manifested from grief.

She was taken to Antiva, helped onto a ship by a grey warden who may or may not have been the hero of Ferelden where she lived in the streets for a few weeks before she was found by Viago De Riva and Teia Cantori and taken in by the Crows.

She was raised a Crow, taught gymnastics and acrobatics, anatomy, and well murder. At around the age of fifteen she developed a crush on the demon of Vyrantium, she didn’t know who his identity actually was but she developed a crush on him.

Eventually she became a full Crow but six months into it she…well stumbled across Antaam forces with prisoners and decided to take things into her own hands, unwittingly foiling a larger Crow scheme. She angered the talons and was sent away for a while…. one of those prisoners also happened to be famed author, Varric Tethras who offered her a job and the rest is history.

[luckyjak]

Since the game doesn't really expand on it, here are my headcanons for post-game.

My Rook was a female Lord of Fortune rogue who romanced Emmrich. Worldstate was a female Lavellan who romanced Solas.

(Spoilers, obviously)

After leaving the Lighthouse, Rook returns to find that Solas and Lavellan have claimed it as their home in the Fade. They travel the Fade often, doing their best to try and sooth the Blight. Dreamers see them occasionally, and stories spread of the Dread Wolf and his Hart/Heart mending the Veil and soothing the Blight throughout Thedas. Legends start about the Immortal Lavellan, the woman who changed the Dread Wolf's heart, and in doing so, saved Thedas. She becomes a godlike figure in elven mythology, and many who travel the Fade claim to see her still, helping where she can.

Solas occasionally stops by in Rook's dreams. Mostly to complain about things ("why is my laboratory now a greenhouse?") But Mostly because, in spite of everything, he considers Rook a friend. Rook gives him shit every time she sees him, but ultimately, they are both happy with how things have turned out.

After defeating the Elven Gods, Rook and Emmrich take some time for themselves. They stay in Nevarra for Manfred's studies. Eventually, they make a trip to try and help Southern Thedas recover, and there they meet the most peculiar person: a spirit turned human by the name of Cole. This sparks a wild debate about Manfred (should they try to make him mortal? Should they not? Is he happy as just bones???) But eventually, they decide it is Manfred's decision, and leave it be.

Three months after that, Manfred Laider-Volkarin appears as a 14 year old boy, made of flesh and bone. He has his father's eyes, and his mother's heart.

Bellara Lutare becomes a Grey Warden. While not a choice she would have gone with on her own, it was either that or die of Blight sickness after being possessed by Elghan'nan. She survived her Joining, and primarily serves the Wardens as an elven expert. Mostly, she hangs out and snarks with Antoine.

She and Davrin almost switch places in life, as Davrin, still a Warden, spends most of his time in Arlathan, helping train the newest generation of griffins to help protect the ancient forest.

(Maybe Bellara and Davrin date? I gotta travel with them together more often.)

Archon Dorian Pavus is stressed beyond believe, given the horrendous state Minrathos is in. However, he has help; Neve Gallus, who becomes the voice of her people to the Archon. She uses her detecting skills to find out what the common people of Tevinter actually need, and then reports it to the highest authority (Dorian). The Archon employs a full time Qunari bodyguard by the name of the Iron Bull, and anyone with eyes can see the two are in love. The Shadow Dragons get to reform Tevinter out of it's ashes, and none are more proud than Neve.

That is, when she's not in Antiva with her boyfriend.

Lucanis never wanted to be the First Talon of the Crows, but heavy is the head that bears the crown. Because Neve drags him to the undercities all the time, his rich boy attitude gets humbled, and the Crows are better for it. The Crows stop using slaves as recruits, and no child ends up like Zevran ever again.

The Veil Jumpers live up to their name, and become Eluvian guardians, helping people travel across Thedas with what Eluvians remain. Because of the Eluvians, life prospers after the double blights, with supplies and help getting to the people who need it most quickly and rapidly.

The Lords of Fortune move south to help out in the Free Marches. Their leader, Isabela, cannot stand by while her once home gets decimated, and it's pirates, of all people, who help recover the Marches.

The South survives. King Alistair, a former Grey Warden, uses his knowledge of darkspawn to keep more people alive than the Inquisitor knew. However, Orlais is decimated, and may never be the glory of the Empire it once was. The Divine Victoria moves to Skyhold, her once former home where she served as spymaster, and in the Inquisitor's absence, uses it as chantry stronghold for which Orlais can rebuild.

The reason Redcliffe lasts as the final stronghold is because that is where the Hero of Fereldan, Amell, lives, and it is through her sheer force of will that Redcliffe remains.

King Alistair might not have survived the onslaught, had his life not been saved by the most unexpected source: a young mage named Kieran. If the two happen to bear more than a passing resemblance to one another, well, who's to say?

[cassioppenny]

so uh post apocalypse legends unova idea that takes place in the far future

after the events of bw1 hil went searching for n and one day gets sucked into a wormhole while riding reshiram or zekrom. probably decided through a question asking if the player thinks truth or ideals are more important when your creating your character or something.

anyway hil gets amnesia and forgets basically everything but their name and the only part of their previous life they still had was a light/dark stone in their bag.

they wake up to a little girl named m who seemed to be living in the forest hil crashlanded in by herself. hil decided to have her tag along with them because a) leaving a child alone in the post apocalypse is a horrible idea and b) something about her is weirdly familiar to hil

the two of them meet the laventon of the game basically ress. ress is a researcher who wishes the find the truths of the worlds secrets. she speaks very monotonely and robotically and is generally extremely blunt. after hil helps her capture the starters (squirtle, fennekin, treeko) she offers to hire them to help her with her pokedex project. because it's the post apocalypse it's extremely hard to get your hands on technology so you're back to paper pokedexes and handmade pokeballs.

she takes you to the underground city neobassa that was made from abandoned subway tunnels. it's the jubilife of the game and where hil and m live. in neobassa there's many people who can meet like chili's descendent who runs a restaurant, the city's mayor who's elesa's descendent, and also kid your age named gris who works part time at a store.

there's something oddly familiar about gris to hil but they can't put a figure on exactly why. hil tries to befriend gris but they're initially not very excited by your company. they eventually open up a bit to eachother eventually and become good friends. they are also the one who gives hil bounties to go on since their store has a request board. they're also m's baby sitter. their boss is hugh's descendent

south of neobassa is the scraper forest which is where castilia city was. all of the building have been overgrown now looking more like a forest than a city

the purple, red, and yellow areas i don't have a lot of ideas for but basically imagine those areas but fucking destroyed basically. i do have an idea for a scene where hil finds the remains of their old home. maybe they find a note from their mother or something that'd be pretty funny

in the north east in the kingdom of plasma where the people worship n as a god live. other than neobassa it's the only place they has people actually living in it. it's very medieval in design and the residents fully believe that the reincarnation of the hero king n will create a new world

most members of the church live in the kingdom of plasma but there are certain individuals who live in other parts of unova. these are the wardens of this game. im not sure what their title is but they basically serve the same purpose.

some of them that i can remember are:

viola descendant who's the warden of a unova gogoat. he mostly spends his free time painting the hauntingly empty streets and overgrown buildings of the scraper forest

clay descendant. i forgot what pokemon she's in charge of but she was a former bounty hunter who was forced into becoming a warden as punishment for attempting to assassinate the church's leader. she spends most of her time finding cool treasure from the ruins instead of actually doing her job

grimsley decedent who's in charge of an unovan sharpedo. forgot literally about everything else i made about them oops

a certain blue haired man named james who suddenly appeared with no memories of his past. he's in charge of an unovan pikachu evolution. aka the pikachu line i gave to neela i originally thought of the concept for this lol. his closest companion is a skitty

a man who seems to have some sort of history with ress. i forgot what pokemon he was in charge of but he's a reckless man who charges head first to whatever he decides to do and has an idealistic worldview. his name is col. james thinks he's annoying as hell

there's ten total but these are the ones i remember since i had this idea since like april and most of the lore is written in notebooks i lost and my brain. the leader of the church is a man commonly referred to as V. much about him is shrouded in mystery other than he was the one who fortold the prophecy of the reincarnation of n remaking the universe. he's seemingly interested in hil after learning they fell out of the sky one day however he keeps his identity a secret instead having his wardens try to convince hil to join them. also V has the opposite stone

so uh yeah!! uh autism be upon your something idk if anyone wants to ask any questions go ahead

[kiyfra]

Chapter 6 of Scorpio is complete! Can be read here or on AO3. PokeRus AU belongs to @monsoon-of-art.

“What I’m attempting to do is to show people that if I can spend some time with very dangerous spiders and snakes and scorpions, then maybe they’ll feel different about the spiders and snakes they find around their areas.”

----------------------------------

Volo led her to an unremarkable stretch of forest tucked away behind mountains with crumbling trails that rarely saw any human travellers. It didn’t even possess the mystique of some remote bit of wilderness untouched by humans; it was just a forest like any other that was too out of the way to visit. Anything that was foraged would have to be carried down steep, loose cliff faces and it wasn’t worth the trip when it’s damp peat and autumn foliage could easily be found elsewhere.

Or so the girl thought before dense vegetation began to clear and a translucent dome shimmering a faint blue stretched out over the canopy as far as she could see. Dawn stopped before the threshold and stared in puzzlement, looking back at Volo who only gestured for her to walk through.

Stepping inside caused an audible shift and Dawn immediately felt so much lighter, like a weight was lifted off her back that she hadn’t even noticed until now. Tension eased out of her body like a muscle relaxing after being clenched for so long. She gazed upwards and the sky looked almost normal, the blue of the dome supplanting most of the unnatural red.

“What is this place?”

“The safest place in all of Hisui, courtesy of our host,” Volo replied.

A million questions swam through her head, but the merchant flew ahead, confident they would be answered soon enough. Trees starting thinning out as they followed a winding river and small plots of farmland came into view. Hastily constructed tents dotted the clearing with all manner of pokémon going about their business, many of them displaying the tell-tale signs of PokéRus victims. It was easy to tell the former humans apart from regular pokémon. They all possessed odd and uncanny features that set them apart from typical members of the species and wore clothes or accessories whenever feasible. Human-like hair that hadn’t fallen out was one of the most common, followed by strange body proportions and most had facial structures that were slightly off.

Pearl and Diamond clan insignias adorned many of the tunics and several wore the blue, white, and gold of Ginko Guild uniforms. Dawn realized this was close to everyone in Hisui aside from the mad wardens and leaders.

This must have been where the rest of the clans went after they were sent away! Had they been hiding here the whole time?

Pretty much everyone from the clans, the village and merchants had fully metamorphosed with only a few odd stragglers, but there were no signs of the mental deterioration PokéRus caused in its victims. These infectees should have been completely consumed by the virus by now, left slavering and mad like the wardens. Instead, pokémon and former humans went about their daily business without incident or fear. Did the dome over the forest hideaway have something to do with it?

The makeshift village noticed the duo enter the retreat and whispered amongst themselves as they stared at the returning togekiss and his small compatriot. Amongst them was a toxicroak draped in raggedy mismatched furs, a washed out coloured gengar, and an abomasnow with long strands of pine needles loosely tied into pigtails. All of them had the misfortune sisters’ distinct facial paint that had become permanent markings with their transformations. Before she could question what she was doing, Dawn had wandered over to the trio of bandits.

The eldest sister briefly looked her up and down and Dawn realized this was the first time they had seen her as a fully turned dewott. Their brief glances at her satchel made her think they were wondering if she had anything worth stealing or if they could take the now diminutive otter in a fight. She doubted they would cause a scene, but she would make sure to keep a close eye on her belongings.

“Oh, you’re still alive? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you’re quite the tenacious one,” Charm noted disinterestedly.

“More or less. How did you three end up here?”

The toxicroak gave an exaggerated roll of her shoulders.

“The Pearl Clan’s huge mutt chased us here about a fortnight ago. We thought he tracked us down to finish the job he started on Firespit Island, but just about everyone at the retreat was led here by your new Lord,” Coin explained.

Clover bristled at the reminder of their humiliation at the Coastlands.

“You’re welcome for that by the way,” the abomasnow spat.

Dawn could imagine Lord Arcanine barking at the sisters for them to follow him but ending up having to herd the terrified bandits to safety. The mental image of the trio scrambling up a cliff to escape an arcanine at the base barking and wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out was deeply amusing, but she had a feeling they wouldn’t see it that way.

“Well, I’m glad you’re alright,” she said, trying not to snicker.

This piqued the gengar’s curiosity and she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

“I can see you haven’t changed a bit. Do you still have the luxury of being such a bleeding heart? You of all people ought to understand the cost of involving yourself in other people’s affairs.“

A bolt of indignation raced through her and Dawn grit her teeth, reminding herself these highway women weren’t worth picking a fight. But her scowl and clenched fists gave away that the bandit’s words touched a sore spot. Charm raised a hand to her oversized mouth in a poor attempt to hide the haughty smirk that stretched across most of her face.

“Looks like I struck a nerve.”

Now that the sisters knew they could get a rise out of her, they looked ready to seize upon the vulnerability like sharpedoes that smelt blood in the water. Coin looked down at the dewott with a cruel gleam in her eyes and followed up on the taunt.

“I heard the Galaxy Team wasn’t as hospitable as you imagined. It’s not so fun doing the dirty work of such small minded fools, so I left on my own terms. Bet you feel pretty stupid now.”

“You’re one to talk!” Dawn exploded. “You couldn’t handle it out there either and went crawling back as soon as things got too difficult.”

Clover scowled and got up in her face, the smell of pine overwhelming.

“That’s completely different! This forcefield prevents us from ending up like your crazy wardens, so we’re agreeing to a  temporary  truce. That’s all!”

Her powerful arms were trembling with anger and a cold wind started whipping up, but Dawn wasn’t about to back down. The eldest heaved a reluctant sigh as she took it upon herself to diffuse the situation before someone did something they’d regret.

“My sisters and I have chosen to remain here until things settle back down. We can swallow our pride and play nice for the time being given the circumstances,” she said with a pointed look at the other two bandits. “Everyone does what they need to survive after all.”

Her matter of fact conclusion suggested there would be no further discussion or argument about the matter. The anger had yet to fizzle out and the bandits’ animosity wouldn’t be forgotten, but Dawn jutted her chin out and crossed her arms while she met their glares. For how much they talked themselves up as hardened survivalists who played meaner and harder than anyone else, they were pathetically easy to rile up.

A bit like yourself.

She hadn’t put much thought into why these three had abandoned their homes to carve out a meagre living in such a harsh world. Their demands to be taken seriously came across as childish and their grudge against the Galaxy Team petty and vindictive. But maybe they were more like her than she wanted to admit.

For the first time since she arrived in the region, she allowed herself to consider they had grievances against Jubilife just as legitimate as her own, that they were wronged by the people of Hisui.

“...You’re right. About the Galaxy Team.” Their ire melted into something along the lines of sympathy, surprised by the concession. “They used me and threw me away and I am  not  going back to them after this.”

“I’m sorry you had to learn that the hard way,” Coin offered.

She didn’t  sound  very sorry. Dawn decided to press her a little more closely.

“But why did you three leave?”

“That’s none of your business!” Clover exclaimed, a little too shrill to be intimidating despite her size.

The eldest sister looked bemused again.

“Why do you want to know? Were you going to ask to join us?”

Did she want to? The idea of making her own way in the world with her pokémon by her side, answerable to no one, was very appealing. With a group of outlaws she was useful to, there would be some assistance when she really needed it. The Misfortune Sisters wanted the assurance that came from having pokémon as companions and her expertise would be a huge asset.

Then all of her skills could be wasted on being a petty criminal, robbing and bullying people. Her mother would be ashamed of her, but what other choice would she have? With the massive bandits leering down at her, she truly felt her age.

“Dawn.” The authoritative voice of Cyllene rang out and the human turned abra walked towards the group, uncannily on two legs. Dawn had never seen a normal one do that, preferring to keep their limbs tucked in as they propelled themselves with their vast reserves of psychic energy. The captain of the Survey Corps was followed by her partner abra floating beside her with Rei and Laventon not far behind.

“I see you’ve managed to survive. Good. Now that Volo has retrieved you, I will debrief you on our current situation.”

“We’re so glad you’re okay!”

The two researchers rushed over and Rei bombarded her with dozens of questions about where she was and what she had been doing the past month over top of the professor’s fretting. Dawn protested and asked them to speak one at a time as the bandits left the Survey Corps to continue the conversation that no longer pertained to them.

“Did everyone from Jubilife come here with you guys?”

Laventon paused as he worked out an estimate. “I’d say it was less than half of the village. Maybe one third?”

That wasn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things and Dawn’s heart sank. There were so many maddened former humans beyond the safety of the retreat; friends and loved ones to the survivors that were in horrific pain.

“And the commander?”

“Kamando is...” Rei trailed off.

“He is amongst those fallen to the plague. With our commander incapacitated, I have assumed charge of the remainder of Jubilife Village in his absence.”

If her superior’s fate upset her, Cyllene kept it hidden, but the news hit Dawn harder than she thought it would. Despite her anger towards the man, he was a person with a history, struggles and hopes for the future and all of it was just gone. A hollow guilt settled inside her chest, like her spiteful thoughts towards him were responsible, though she knew that was irrational.

Cyllene continued her debriefing with a detached professionalism, her practicality grounding the turbulent emotions she felt.

“Along with the surviving villagers, we have successfully evacuated all of the pokémon from the pastures and they are living here at the retreat.”

“Quite an impressive assortment you’ve gathered. They really made this thriving hideout possible.” Volo swooped down to participate in the Survey Corps discussion. “But I’d expect nothing less from my favourite customer.”

“Good of you to join us.” Cyllene gave the togekiss a curt nod before turning back to Dawn.

“After abra managed to locate you, I sent Volo to retrieve you so we may discuss our next course of action. We are all guests here that have been permitted to stay by the goodwill of the owner of this retreat. She wishes to speak with you so I want you to join Volo and present yourself. Remember that you are representing the Galaxy Team so be sure to give proper thanks.

That is all.”

She gave her orders with such authority that Dawn could almost forget she was no longer affiliated with the Galaxy Team, that she had forsworn her rank and duties. But Volo was already making his way through the camp and calling out for her to hurry along.

The retreat was bustling with former humans making sure there was enough food to go around with what they managed to forage and tending to small plots of farm land that had yielded very little. It was unclear how long they would be expected to remain at the retreat and how they were going to last the winter with so little time to stock up. Their crops back home would be difficult to harvest and transport to the retreat with the patrolling wardens, never mind the risk of going mad outside the protective bubble.

Crude shelters of timber and tarps that looked more like nests gave way to untouched nature filled with a plethora of pokémon resting in trees and burrows. Pokémon from all over Hisui and many that weren’t native to the area, far more numerous than the environment could sustain long term. They must have gathered here to ride out the ordeal taking place in the rest of the region, possibly led by Lord Arcanine, but Dawn recognized a lot of them as ones that she had caught herself.

The overcrowded forestry thinned out and a small bridge led to a modest home on the opposite side of a stream, constructed long before the retreat was occupied by so many refugees. It looked a lot like the tents found at the Diamond and Pearl Clan settlements with their solid wooden framing, but the fabric was pitch black and it lacked any visible insignia.

An elegant lucario with pure white fur was seated at a small table with a tea set. She wore a black dress and wide brimmed hat with lace and flower decorations, all deliberately monochrome. The distinguished pokémon possessed delicate features and a smile that made Dawn think of art galleries, calling to mind a famous painting.

With clothing that didn’t seem remotely practical for a solitary existence in the wilderness and the apparent lack of affiliation with any of the major points of civilization in Hisui, she wondered how she managed to live so comfortably on her own and why she chose to hide herself away.

There was a serene, otherworldly presence to the woman and the air stood still, frozen in time. Dawn supposed she would soon learn who this mystery person was.

“Mistress Cogita, I’ve brought company,” Volo called out.

“So you have. It’s good to finally meet you, lost one. I have waited a long time for the arrival of such a displaced wanderer like yourself.”

Dawn gave a shrug of her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’ve been lying low for the past month and I was pretty busy during my time in Jubilife.”

“Oh, I’ve been here much longer than that, but such impatience would be unbecoming.” There was a knowing twinkle in the woman’s eyes that held secrets she would take to the grave. “Please join me for tea, we have much to discuss.”

Volo, ever the gentleman, pulled out the chair for her and Dawn clambered up. She had to sit on her haunches to peer her head over the edge of the table as Cogita poured out two piping hot cups.

“These are quite troubling times we live in, wouldn’t you agree?”

“That’s a bit of an understatement.”

The whole scene felt too surreal. Just yesterday her main concern was finding enough food, and now she was having a fancy tea party with a woman dressed to the nines in a bog filled with refugees living in nests and burrows. She reached up over the table to take her own cup of tea and brought it to her lips, immediately regretting it as she scalded her tongue.

“Careful, it’s still hot,” the lucario warned.

Dawn gingerly held the cup by the handle, taking care to blow on it as she waited. There were about a million questions dancing on the tip of her tongue and it was hard to know where to begin.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is the dome over your retreat? I’m guessing it’s the reason everyone here hasn’t gone crazy.”

“That would be my doing. While I have found our current predicament trying in many ways, it has been quite exciting learning how a lucario controls and wields their aura. This blue dome is a projected aura, one that counteracts the influence driving their violent behaviour.”

“Wait, a lucario can just use its aura to keep people sane?” Dawn abruptly set her cup down. “We could have saved everyone by going out and catching one!?”

“While that would have made for a nice and simple solution, I’m afraid not just any lucario would do. My aura is enhanced and imbued with the properties needed to keep the peace and quiet within my humble retreat.”

“Guess this couldn’t have been too easy,” Dawn muttered bitterly.” What makes yours special?”

Volo spoke up, eager to interject himself into the discussion.

“Allow me to answer a question with a question. You already know several people that kept their heads clear; how did you and your little band of merry researchers accomplish this?”

He was there for the journey to the three lakes. Where was he going with this line of questioning?

“We got blessings from the lake guardians and I used them on the Survey Corps.”

“So it took a legendary’s power to save them,” he drawled. “Mistress Cogita here is an expert on Hisui’s myths and legends. She recalls long forgotten stories, customs and even species that have otherwise been lost to history. I’d imagine her power operates on a very similar principle, no?”

The lucario sighed and put down her cup as Volo looked expectantly at her.

“Yes, you’ve shirked your duties enough times to beg me to share them with you. A pokémon called Enamourus frequents my retreat. She is known as the Herald of Spring and returned to these land right around the start of our current troubles. Her motivations are her own and not for me to pick apart, but I’d imagine she enjoys my company too much to let such a fate befall me.”

Cogita took a sip from her tea.

“How fortunate that I was permitted to share this gift.”

She said it neutrally and without a hint of conceit, but Dawn was lost in thought. She had never heard of such a pokémon before. What did this pokémon look like? What type was it? Professor Laventon would be over the moon at the chance to study a new legendary.

Dawn allowed herself to indulge in a daydream where everything could go back to normal and she would get to research Enamorous for the Survey Corps. She would get to do the exciting part of taking notes while in the field, observing them in battle and determining whether the myths surrounding them were an exaggeration or an understatement. Her and Rei would get to hear the professor sharing and defending every hypothesis he brainstormed over dinner at the Wallflower after sharing her report with Cyllene.

Wait, didn’t Cyllene ask something of her earlier? Oh, right! She was supposed to thank her for letting everyone stay. Dawn abruptly stood up on the chair and cleared her throat, hoping she looked and sounded formal.

“Mistress Cogita, I want to thank you on behalf of the Survey Corps and Jubilife Village for permitting us to stay within your retreat.”

Her attempt at a serious deeper voice just sounded silly, but the lucario smiled easily and waved at her to sit back down.

“Just Cogita is fine, and I should be thanking you.” Dawn raised an eyebrow quizzically while the elegant pokémon continued unfettered. “Long ago I was entrusted with the wisdom of the Celestica people to guide a wayward soul such as yourself. One that would face a terrible calamity. With your arrival I can finally fulfill my duty.”

Here it was. Some small, timid part of her wanted to just keep quiet and not rock the boat. Do as she was told and accept her mission if she wanted a roof over her head. Well, a nest might just have to do.

Her tea should be cool enough to drink by now. It smelled like jasmine.

“I won’t do it.”

The reaction was immediate; surprise and disbelief spread across their faces and Volo bristled in indignation. Dawn didn’t give them a chance to object before she clarified her declaration.

“Even since I arrived in Hisui I’ve been suspected, blamed, forced to risk my life then thrown away. It’s time I stand up for myself!”

She tried to keep her words venomous and from rising in pitch with limited success while she measured their expressions. Were they angry? Dawn couldn’t tell. With a breath to steady herself, she continued.

“If you want to kick me out, I’ll take my pokémon and go.”

“What twaddle!”

Cogita shook her head like a disappointed teacher.

“Come now, we’re past this,” Volo said with a sharp edge to his voice. “There’s no one else in Hisui that posses your raw skill and talent. You’re a smart girl. Without the plates, there’s no hope for the wardens or a home for you and you know whose fault it would be.”

How dare he use their suffering against her or suggest that it was her fault! She had heard it from Beni, from Kamando, and more villagers and clans folk than she could remember, but she never expected to hear it from him. It was the first time Dawn was genuinely irate at the merchant.

“I didn’t have one either way,” she responded icily. “And if you know so much about these plates, how about you go get them yourself?”

The lucario exuded only a hint of exasperation towards the rising tension and she spared a look in the togekiss’s direction.

“Would you be so kind as to give us a moment?”

Her tone was gentle though firm enough that it was more of an edict than a request. Volo looked like he wanted to protest, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the older woman.

“Very well.”

He sulked off elsewhere within the retreat while Cogita took another sip of her tea, the merchant striding with his head held high to make a show of how unbothered he was.

…

“It was unthinkably cruel of my ancestors to place a burden so monumental on such a small child,” the lucario admitted.

It was. How come she was the first person since Ingo to realize this?

“My retreat is open to all that need it, but I must warn you that winter is fast approaching and my friend doesn’t much like the cold. Enamourus departs for places warmer until spring and I don’t know if her gift will last during such an absence. Even if it does, our future still looks rather grim. Will another shoulder your burden?”

“I’ve made up my mind.”

There was a bitter atmosphere thick with disappointment in the silence that followed. Cogita poured herself another cup of tea as she finished a small biscuit, leaving plenty of pasties and sandwiches for her guest. Dawn hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but the dewott didn’t dare help herself to any. She had the urge to say sorry, although she didn’t know what she would be apologizing for.

Her tea had gone cold.

“You can go now,” Cogita said finally. “If you ask Volo, he will show you to an available living space.”

Sliding off the seat with her tiny dewott body like a toddler getting down from a high chair only reinforced the feeling that her childishness got her sent to her room. Dawn left Cogita’s tent and plodded back through the rest of her retreat, emotionally exhausted from their talk. The pokémon in their burrows and former humans going about their business with no inkling to what the future held in store for them felt too calm. Worries seemed to float away with the burbling stream winding through the retreat.

She remembered the start of the outbreak when it was first believed to be transmitted by pokémon. So many people from Jubilife didn’t want a pokémon anywhere near them and questioned whether humans and pokémon could even peacefully coexist. Many from the clans considered the idea that pokémon could spread a plague to humans blasphemous and an insult to their Nobles. They lived alongside them for generations with nothing like this ever happening, so their disease explanation must be wrong.

It’s a test from Sinnoh, it’s a curse, a punishment because the other clan worships the wrong god, we don’t have a Noble on the Coastlands, outsiders shouldn’t be meddling. On and on the bickering continued while the Survey Corps wracked their brains for a solution and the disease got worse.

Ancient times when people and pokémon didn’t get along sounded like a morality tale for children. Dawn never imagined she would live through such an inhospitable period of history, let alone anything like this.

Everyone here had lost their homes and most were grieving friends and loved ones, but the retreat seemed oddly peaceful, untouched by the horror and chaos outside. And everyone had adapted surprisingly quickly to living so closely with pokémon.

They went about their business of carefully clearing spaces for the food, shelter and storage needed to make it livable with bodies drastically different from the ones they had the majority of their lives. It was downright inspiring how they adjusted to living and working with claws, teeth and appendages like it was the most natural thing in the world, following the example and direction of the original species.

Staravias demonstrated how to fly and preen their wings, a graveler out on a farm plot shaped the earth with onlookers giving instructions and taking careful notes. The species that still had opposable thumbs or psychic powers did the bulk of the precise work like sewing or cooking.

Children around the age they would receive their first pokémon helped sort through collected food. Among them was a teddiursa with a mop of brown hair that had a tiny hand wrapped around one of the giant claws of an ursaring. She wouldn’t stop staring at Dawn and the former Galaxy Team member could swear she looked familiar. The teddiursa let go of the giant bear and toddled over to her, trying not to trip on her oversized Pearl Clan tunic.

“When are Adaman and Mai going to come back?”

“Huh?”

“Everyone said they were too sick to be around us and that’s why we had to leave. They told me the Galaxy Team were trying to find a way to make them better.”

Oh, right. This was their little sister Calens. Dawn had seen her a few times being guarded and carried around by the ursaring at the Diamond Clan settlement. It had seemed friendly to Adaman and Mai’s other pokémon before taking on the role of bodyguard to the girl, perhaps at the request of Adaman or Mai themselves.

No one told her that she was never going home and her siblings were never coming back. And how could they? They didn’t know Dawn had given up. She shouldn’t have to worry about any of this; neither of them should. It wasn’t fair that they had to live with the mess the adults expected them to clean up.

Would  she  take up your burden?

Would she realize the older person that should know better abdicated her responsibility? Then Calens could fend for herself, maybe train with ursaring so she could collect the plates instead. The thought of doing something so cruel to someone that much younger than herself made her stomach twist into a knot of shame and anxiety.

Dawn had only been thinking about the townsfolk who made disparaging remarks behind her back and gave disapproving glares for hanging around their shops too long, not the children excited to see her show off the latest pokémon she caught.  Everyone’s  lives would be ruined, even the people who never wronged her. She would be no better than Kamando.

Calens was still looking up at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“Umm…” Dawn knelt down to be at eye level. “…I’m working as hard as I can with the rest of the Galaxy Team.”

Dawn didn’t believe in lying to children and never appreciated it when anyone did it to her. “I don’t know for sure when everyone will come back, but we’re making a plan.”

Little kids liked feeling like they were in on a secret and Dawn lowered her voice. “In fact, I’m on a special mission right now. I’ll tell you all about it later. Okay?”

The teddiursa’s eyes went wide at the promise and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay!”

Calens seemed satisfied with the answer and Dawn took off at a sprint back the way she came. Makeshift homes and work stations passed in a blur in her search for the merchant. The golden togekiss was on the peripheral of the Survey Corps, quietly listening in on the ongoing discussion amongst the group.

“Volo!” Dawn shouted urgently as she ran towards the group that had fallen silent.

She skidded to a halt in front of the Survey Corps and they waited for what she had to say as she doubled over panting, trying to catch her breath. It was several drawn out seconds with the four of them staring in silence before her lungs were full enough and her mouth wasn’t too dry.

“I’m ready to look for the next plate,” she announced finally.

“Excellent!” Volo seemed delighted and the enthusiasm was infectious, their previous argument forgotten.

“I have reason to believe Kamando himself was in possession of one and it should still be in Jubilife Village. But your chief and everyone that didn’t make it out in time will be patrolling the area.”

Dawn hadn’t been anywhere near Jubilife since the banishment and if there were as many mad PokéRus victims as the professor claimed, then that had been a wise decision. With the wardens and clan leaders causing so much mayhem across Hisui, she could only imagine the havoc they were causing.

“Let me see if I’ve got anything to help you,” Volo mused as he looked through his travel pack.

“Here.”

He pulled out several chalky yellow medicine tablets and labeled bottles, max revives and max potions, and handed them to her. Maybe it was just the emotional roller coaster she had been on today, but Dawn felt overwhelmed by the generosity. The merchant always offered aid and encouragement, always seeming to have a plan and Dawn couldn’t put into words how grateful she was for his support.

“This is going to be a dangerous mission, but nothing someone of your caliber can’t handle.”

“I’ll go too,” Rei volunteered.

Volo quickly extended a wing around the boy and looked back over his shoulder to give an apologetic smile to Dawn as he ushered Rei away from the group for a word in private. As soon as they were out of earshot, the merchant leaned down to confront the young Survey Corps member.

“Are you sure that Dawn really needs you tagging along right now?”

“What? You said yourself this would be dangerous, so why wouldn’t she want help?”

The boy turned raichu kept his voice at a whisper despite his confusion as Volo stared at him pointedly.

“Your village stabbed her in the back, remember?”

The merchant’s reminded was blunt and judgmental and Rei’s ears folded down in shame as he looked away.

“It was a rather heartless betrayal and the Survey Corps left her to twist in the wind when she needed you most. Surely you don’t believe that all has been forgiven?”

Rei spent several seconds wilting under the merchant’s gaze before he found the courage to speak again.

“I was scared of being banished too. I know I’m a coward. My own partner tells me as much so I can’t even blame the new instincts I have.” The boy balled his fists as he looked up at the togekiss. “But I want to make it up to her and I can prove myself at Jubilife.” 

“I want him to come too.”

They both startled at Dawn’s proclamation, realizing she had snuck up on them to eavesdrop. Volo’s face contorted into a grimace at the understanding their private conversation had been overheard before he closed his eyes and cocked his head.

“Well, I’m glad you two could settle up,” he said sweetly.

“You will both need to be debriefed on your mission and each choose a team to accompany you,” Cyllene said, taking over. “I will provide a rundown on who remained in Jubilife and what you can expect.”

Laventon lifted off into the air, a rare sight from the professor.

“Jolly good! In the meantime, Rei and I will gather up your pokémon. Be sure to keep a watch out for Beni!”

Cyllene hadn’t even started explaining what pokémon they would be facing, but Dawn was already going through matchups in her head. She was finally back in her element after being on her own for so long with a plan and allies that she knew she could trust. For the first time in over a month, she felt hope and could look forward to seeing Riptide again. Dawn excitedly waited for Rei and the professor to come back with her pokémon in tow.