#i was rly just pondering a rook who would get that little da'len speech from elgar'nan and actually consider it

[vigilskept]

i'm not saying they should have done this but there could've been something there in a veilguard that didn't refuse to engage with the past/present of the elves (and arlathan and tevinter in particular!) where bellara's engagement with the veilguard is a story of alienation.

how would it feel to be enlisted by rook to save minrathous, knowing that this beautiful, awful city was built on the labour and blood of millions of your people, given unwillingly? how would it feel to know there will be no recognition of what you've done for them in the end? that whatever you do, the instability in arlathan (which you've left everyone else to deal with, to help these strangers) will mean more death for your people? that shemlen will try to profit from this weakness anyway?

you've learned that elvhenan was not quite what you thought and the creators aren't exactly what you believed them to be. but how can you know that the dread wolf, the great betrayer of your gods and your people isn't misleading you either? there is something wrong with rook. there has been from the start, but no one will talk about it. no one but davrin even seems to understand your concerns that they expect you all to take the dread wolf at his word because they made the mistake of trusting him.

of course, it's easy for them to believe your gods were nothing but tyrants and monsters. it only means their hands are clean.