#if he and Lucanis ever adopt

[cybershock24601]

Alternate Veilguard time travel au where everyone BUT Rook ends up in the past as a result of one of their attempts to get Rook back.

The Inquisition suddenly gets the weirdest collection of freaks showing up at Skyhold including a tevene detective, a dalish monster hunter, a dalish historian, an esteemed member of the mourn watch, the demon of vyrantium who might possibly be possessed by a demon, and a 13 yr old dragon hunter + their mom. Also Harding is there and suddenly doing rock magic.

And none of these people seem to be doing all that much to help, they just keep side eying Solas.

(How do the companions that were lost on tearstone island get blasted back to the past too you ask? i don't know, i don't care, it's the power of friendship bitch)

Highlights of this au include:

Lucanis telling Caterina No for once in his life and ditching the Crows. Caterina and Illario have absolutely no idea how to handle this sudden shift in behavior from the ever obedient Lucnais

Harding suddenly being able do Rock magic and just giving Solas so much pointed shit but never outright calling him out for what he did to the Titans so Solas just has to sit there uncomfortable unable to really say anything about it because if Harding doesn't actually know what happened then he doesn't want to out himself by confirming anything

Bellara peppering Solas with a million questions about the things "he's seen in the fade" and Solas having to awkwardly try to answer her questions because he likes being the guy with the answers while also coming up with increasingly ridiculous explanations on how he knows these things so as to not give too much away

Manfred and Cole becoming friends!

Dorian having to deal with his old teenage crush still being super hot

Davrin fucking with Blackwall by asking him questions he already knows about the Wardens just to see what bullshit that guy's going to come up with

Taash and Iron Bull bonding over dragons while Shathann is freaking out in the background because Bull is ben-hassrath

Neve as Cassandra's bi awakening

Davrin adopts a mabari to fill the assan shaped hole in his life

Bellara getting starry eyed about Varric and convincing him to give her writing tips. They end up essentially co authoring a number of serials about some of Neve's more memorable jobs and Bellara even goes onto write some serials based on Davrin's monster hunting adventures and Lucanis' assassination gigs with the two of them getting a little too nitpicky about the accuracy of Bellara's fictionalizations of their professions

But mostly I just want this au because it's essentially the entire veilguard minus Rook looking at Solas like this throughout the entirety of Inquisition

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

I really don’t understand the criticism that Veilguard doesn’t include enough open, devout Andrastianism. Like, it just perplexes me?

Unlike the first three games, which take place in Southern Thedas (the purview of the Orlesian Chantry, the Sunburst throne), Veilguard takes place almost entirely in Northern Thedas. And it’s clear the Chantry’s role there is very different than in the South.

In Southern Thedas, the Chantry is a power unto itself. The Southern Divine, holder of the Sunburst Throne, occupies a place of real significance and power. She has her own militarized forces (the Templar and Seeker Orders). She politically has to interface with the rulers of the various places in Southern Thedas (Orlais, Ferelden, the Free Marches, etc.), but is not formally associated with or dependent on them. The South is comparatively poorer than the North, and we see a majority of services (taking care of orphans, medical care, the Circles, and very significantly education) being taken care of by the Chantry without necessarily much assistance from the relevant countries.

The Southern Chantry is an ever present figure in Southern Thedas, even for those that aren’t devout. And that is reflected in those stories and the cultures we learn about there.

The Tevinter Imperium is not like that. And that’s not terribly surprising. First, the Imperium pre-dates Andrastianism. They have another, older religion that helped form some of their cultural touchpoints. The Imperium did adopt Andrastianism, but did so as a consolidation of empire (which tracks with the Imperium being, in no small part, a reflection of the real life Roman Empire). As such, the Chantry is folded into and subordinate to the Imperium’s government. The real power in Tevinter, and control over the incidents of daily life that we see the Southern Chantry involved in, is the Magisterium and the Archon.

The Imperial Divine doesn’t control the Templars, the Magisterium and Archon do. He doesn’t control the Circles/education. That’s the Magisterium and Archon again. He is, in practical terms, less powerful than Dorian. He can’t make any real change as the Imperial Divine, so he dons a mask and runs a vigilante group to free slaves and make change that way.

The Northern Chantry simply isn’t as omnipresent as the Southern Chantry in the areas it exists, and it competes with a preexisting cultural backbone in a way the Southern Chantry doesn’t (because it largely stamped that out, though some of the Avvar and Chasind are still around).

I think a lot of people are comparing the impact of Andrastianism in Veilguard to that in Inquisition, because it’s the most recent, and the criticism spawns from that. But that…doesn’t make sense. The Inquisitor is leading a religious organization, ultimately affiliated with the Southern Chantry itself and founded by the left and right hands of the former Divine. It claims its legitimacy from Andraste herself (even if the Inquisitor doesn’t believe a single bit of it). The people who join the Inquisition are all okay enough with Andrastianism to affiliate themselves openly with it (Solas aside, but of course he has other reasons), and many are devout.

The Veilguard are just…random people. Skilled, powerful, talented people, but not people with any real affiliation with any Chantry. Davrin and Bellara have complicated relationships with the Dalish religion they grew up with, for obvious reasons, but they weren’t raised in Andrastianism or an Andrastian culture. Neve, per her, “barely keeps the holidays.” Her relationship to Andrastianism seems closer to the average non-church-attending American who celebrates Christmas and Easter, but isn’t particularly Christian beyond that. Lucanis does seem open to belief in the Maker and Andraste, but is kind of ambivalent to it. More agnostic than anything else. Taash wasn’t raised Andrastian, their mom largely still embraces much of the Qun even if she left, and Rivain was always kind of religiously funky anyway. Only Emmrich and Harding are particularly Andrastian, and even then Emmrich is from Nevarra which although deeply Andrastian is unique. Harding is the only companion whose Andrastianism we’d recognize from the prior games.

So in a game set in a region where Andrastianism is culturally less of an influence, where the Chantry holds far less power, and that has companions that aren’t devout Andrastians…how is it a failure of the game that it isn’t brought up more. That makes sense. It’s consistent with the world building that came before it and the continued reveal of that world in game.

I don’t get it.

[sky-scribbles]

Party Banter with Rook!Blackwall

Harding: You know, for a moment back there, I thought you might actually get through to Solas.

Thom: Regret’s something we have in common. I thought… if I reached out to him, told him I understood what guilt drives you to do…

Harding: But no. ‘Do not compare your regrets with mine, Thom Rainier!’

Thom: He’s right, though. He can at least say he did his crimes trying to stop tyrants. I did mine for coin.

Harding: Uh, yeah, and then you faced up to it and decided no one else was going to get hurt for it except you. Solas is right. He’s nothing like you.

—

Lucanis: Do we have a problem, Warden Rainier?

Thom: You kill people. For gold.

Lucanis: I do. Venatori. Blood mages. The political rivals of those who hired me.

Thom: And that’s enough for you? Someone flashes a purse, and you’re ready to murder over some nobles’ spat over which of them gets the bigger fancy house?

Lucanis: Depends on the size of the purse.

—

Bellara: Um, so, about the mayor of D'Meta's Crossing? I just… do you really want someone like that? In the Wardens, I mean.

Thom: I won’t defend him. But he wouldn’t be the first Warden who let innocent people die for gold, and got another chance from the Order.

Bellara: He doesn’t deserve it. Like, really, really doesn’t deserve it.

Thom: No. Neither did I.

—

Thom: Do you ever get people trying to bribe you? To look the other way, or drop a case, or...

Neve: It's Minrathous. If I took even half the bribes I've been offered, I could buy an estate in Hightown.

Thom: It takes a special kind of strength to resist that.

—

Thom: I got a letter from Sera the other day. Don’t ask me how she got it to the Lighthouse.

Harding: ‘Friends’, I bet. And hey - she dealt with the Fade for you! So what'd she say?

Thom: Well, there was a lot of calling Solas a shite-faced arseknuckle. And then she told me not to get killed, or she’d yank my beard ‘til my head came off.

Harding: Aw.

—

Lucanis: Rainier, I do not knife civilians. Everyone I have killed has been embedded in politics. Their hands are never clean.

Thom: And you're sure you’ve never made a mistake? Never got a passer-by or a child caught in all the blades and arrows? Never gone in without knowing everything, and got someone hurt?

Lucanis: Of course not. I’m a professional.

Thom: You’re a mercenary with a cape.

—

Thom: You could’ve left Dock Town. A mage. Talented. You could’ve gone anywhere, chased a better life.

Neve: If I left, I’d be abandoning people who never got that choice. I’m good where I’m at.

Thom: I hope you know how admirable that makes you.

Neve: Not that admirable. If I got that estate in Hightown? Too far to walk to Hal’s fish stand.

Thom: (laughs) Good priorities.

—

Davrin: So, Rainier. Heard a lot of rumours about how you joined the Wardens.

Thom: (uneasy noise) You know, Warden Blackwall told me your past gets forgotten after the Joining.

Davrin: A nice ideal, but it never stands up to the gossip. But you’ve shown your worth.

Thom: Enough for me to have one of those griffons when we rescue them, d’you reckon?

Davrin: (laughs) We’ll see.

—

Thom: I knew someone like Manfred once. He was a spirit, but he sort of… grew his own body.

Emmrich: Oh! A spontaneous incarnation! Do you happen to know what kind of spirit he was?

Thom: Uh… the kind that looks like a young man, but reads minds and flits about trying to make everyone feel better about themselves?

Emmrich: Ah, Compassion! A rather more advanced emotion than Curiosity, and therefore capable of manifesting a physical body, rather than needing to adopt a vacant one.

Thom: More advanced? Right. That explains why Cole used to talk to me about living with the weight of regret, and Manfred spent ten minutes yesterday poking my face to see if my beard came off.

—

Neve: So, you know Dorian?

Thom: Does anyone who’s been in the same room as him for thirty seconds get a choice about knowing Dorian?

Neve: And didn’t always get along, I take it.

Thom: He’s… he’s not so bad. We might’ve judged each other by first impressions back when we met.

Neve: And what’s your impression now?

Blackwall: Still too fancy for his own good. But it says exactly who he is that he’s fighting against slavers and blood mages. I think I got the better deal with the darkspawn.

—

Taash: I heard the Inquisitor turned into a dragon.

Thom: No, she… didn’t. But she did get one to fight with us once.

Taash: She did? What kind? How’d she do it?

Thom: Sort of… gold? And she drank from this pool of elven magic, and… that somehow let her ask it to help us. I think.

Taash: Did she ride it into battle?

Thom: Uh… No.

Taash: Oh. I would’ve ridden it into battle.

—

Thom: Emmrich, do you know what those demons were the other day? The ones that wouldn’t leave me alone?

Emmrich: Ah. Those were manifestations of Shame. A variant of the Despair spirit.

Thom: Right. Don’t know what I expected.

Emmrich: If it’s any consolation, I find that one can tell much more about a person from the more benign spirits that gather around them. I catch glimpses of them about you often. Valour. Fortitude. Honour.

Thom: I hope to be worthy of them.

—

Thom: Lucanis, have you ever regretted any of your kills?

Lucanis: Not so far.

Thom: So this is what you’re fine with being? A man who takes nobles’ money and lives in luxury with your bloodied hands? That's the life you chose?

Lucanis: Not ‘chose’, exactly. It is what I was trained to be since my childhood.

Thom: Wait. You were – who trains a child to be an assassin?

Lucanis: You met my grandmother.

—

Davrin: You held up pretty well in the last fight, Rainier. For an old man.

Thom: Whelp like you’d better watch what he says around a senior Warden.

Davrin: Why? You’ll tell me to do the fifty press-ups that your creaky bones can’t handle?

Thom (laughs) I’ll stop letting you borrow my best chisel.

—

Bellara: Hey, um, Thom? You know that little rocking griffon you made? Could you make, I don’t know, a bigger one? Like… adult… person-sized?

Thom: (chuckles) You never have a rocking griffon growing up?

Bellara: No! They’re not a Dalish thing! Because you can’t really rock. When the aravel’s moving, I mean. So… no, it’s a dumb idea. Forget I said anything.

Thom: You want me to make it a rocking halla?

Bellara: Yes please thank you.

—

Emmrich: How far you must have travelled, with both the Inquisition and the Wardens!

Thom: I like being on the road. Keeps a man honest.

Emmrich: I rather envy your fearlessness of the wider world. It’s so recent that the end of the Circles allowed me to travel freely outside the Necropolis.

Thom: Must have been freeing. Having the whole world suddenly open to you.

Emmrich: And rather overwhelming, I must admit. When I compare myself to you – a brave Warden, combatting the Blight across all of Thedas…

Thom: Trust me: compare the two of us, and that’s the only way I’ll come out better from it.

—

Thom: We fought quite a few dragons in the Inquisition. Almost got eaten once by some pissed-off beast in the Hinterlands. Kept throwing its dragonlings at us.

Taash: Fereldan Frostbacks are crappy mothers. First sign of trouble, and it’s ‘here! Take my children!’

Thom: (laughs) The worst was the lightning-spitter off the Storm Coast. Spent twenty minutes hacking away at its scales, rest of my team unconscious on the ground.

Taash: Wait - you what? That's not how you fight dragons. You can't just stand there and hit them. That's stupid. And boring.

—

Lucanis: It’s how the Crow Houses work. Children of the House lineage are trained from our infancy.

Thom: Andraste’s fucking tits.

Lucanis: It’s necessary. If Illario and I had been coddled… Caterina pushed us hard and young, because she wanted us to survive.

Thom: I don’t… (sighs) The things people do to children.

—

Harding: I never thought to ask - how come Varric changed your nickname?

Thom: I asked him to go with something else. 'Hero'... that was a name he gave to Blackwall.

Harding: Well, he chose the right name. You know, 'cause Rooks move in straight lines. And you charge right in there, don't mess around with fancy words, just hit things til they drop. You could say you're -

Thom: Don't do it, Lace.

Harding: Straightforward.

Thom: (chuckles) You're as bad as Sera.

—

Emmrich: Master Rainier, I wanted to say – I hope you know that you’re the only person here who looks at you with any harshness.

Thom: I – (sighs) You don’t know everything about me.

Emmrich: I would never claim to. But I know that you place yourself before your allies and the defenceless without hesitation and with utter selflessness. I know you understand your Warden oath better than many of your superiors. I know that you are a good man.

Thom: … I wish I knew what it was like to be you. Seeing the good in everyone, living or dead.

Emmrich: Then I hope you’ll permit me continue to see the good in you – until you can see yourself as I do.

[catierambles]

"So," Rook said, leaning back in the chair in the cafe. "Since we're still stalling, I have a joke for you two." Illario and Lucanis both gave her an interested, and identical, tilt of the head. Definitely related. "Two Crows and a Mortalitasi walk into a cafe--"

"I think I know this one." Lucanis said, one corner of his lips perking into a grin, "It ends with a Venatori spy being killed and raised from the dead--"

"To serve drinks while doing handstands." Rook said, "It's a classic."

"You're a Mortalitasi?" Illario asked, "I knew there was something beautifully macabre and mysterious about you." She just perked an eyebrow at him before giving a snort.

"Okay, then." She said, "But yes, I'm a Mortalitasi of Nevarra. Member of the Mourn Watch."

"You work in the Necropolis?" Lucanis asked and she nodded with a hum, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Until recently. I was...encouraged to travel a bit after ending an undead uprising of risen nobles. Politics."

"Now you're fighting Venatori and Antaam." Illario said.

"Mustn't forget the blighted elven gods controlling them." She said, casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"How did you come to be a member of the Mourn Watch?" Lucanis asked, "Illario and I were born into the Crows, I'm curious how Nevarra does it."

"I was found in the Necropolis as a baby." She said, looking down at her coffee. "By a couple of spirits, Protection and Compassion. Not a newborn, but not yet a toddler. They heard me crying."

"Your parents abandoned you in the Necropolis?" Illario asked, leaning forward a little in his seat.

"We don't know what happened." She said, "The spirits never said how I came to be there. The Necropolis is...well, it's almost a living being itself. Constantly changing and rearranging. New rooms appearing, more hallways. I was in one of them. Protection watched over me while Compassion got the attention of the Watchers." A smile stretched slowly over her face, "Apparently when the Watchers found me after following Compassion, a few wisps were dancing around me making me laugh and I kept trying to catch them, Protection keeping the other spirits away. No one ever claimed me and, like I said, the spirits never said how I wound up there."

"I had wondered how an elf came to be named Anna Ingellvar." Lucanis said and she gave a small laugh.

"I was adopted by a senior Watcher, Otis Ingellvar. He was one of the Watchers who followed Compassion." She said, "He and his wife, another Watcher, never had children of their own and they always said that if they had a daughter, they'd name her Anna. There's a theory that I was a spirit pulled from the Fade by the Necropolis and given a living form, the Fade being a plane of manifestation and reflection and all that. Well, less an actual theory and more "wouldn't it be fascinating if--" kind of thing. It was never given any serious consideration."

"That would explain your beautiful and captivating green eyes." Illario said and she perked another brow at him.

"Does he ever stop?" She asked, looking at Lucanis.

"When in the company of a beautiful woman? No, unfortunately not." Lucanis said and she gave a small smile at the roundabout compliment he gave her.

[cicide76536]

Discussing Lucanis' hand in relationships and flirting, I have a feeling that he must have been trained by Caterina to at least try to be somewhat charming and polite, but as soon as real feelings start to get in the picture, he fumbles. Like he tries to do everything he's seen Illario do, say the things Caterina taught to say when needing to break the ice, but with Rook he's just... lost and first time experiencing butterflies in stomach.

I'm certain that Rook will read that as Lucanis not being interested in them and kinda backing off, only for Lucanis to attempt really awkward flirting later... Fumbling with words, twitching anxiously between sentences, unable to look anywhere while waiting for an answer....

I bet Lucanis stays awake at nights thinking How the hell did that one assassin get adopted into a family of failed contract targets??

Not to embarras the man even further but being so busy with crowtraining and work, has he ever had a relationship before? Is he the first virgin crow? Can Zevran teach him or

[kai-dimir]

OC Tag Game

I was tagged by @emmieloumay ! Thank you! and them @kindlyfeline tagged me while I was working on this!

I'm tagging: @spinfins @clericblood @elfmaid and @issilya

No need to do it if you don't want to. I love seeing everyone's Rooks!

General:

Name: Kai De Riva Alias: Rook Gender: Trans man Age: 30 Spoken Language: Common and Antivan He's learning Elvish from Bellara and Davrin. He only knew a few words beforehand. Sexual Orientation: Pansexual Occupation: Assassin

Favorite: 

Color: Red Entertainment: Reading. He likes trading book recommendations with people. He’ll read just about anything. Pastime: Metal working/smithing. He likes making gifts for his friends. His favorite things to make are jewelry and fancy/decorative knives.  Food: Anything sweet! He'll eat most foods but has a major weakness for sweets. Drink: Vodka or Rum. He prefers hard liquor because it flavors better. Again, the sweeter the better.

Have They…

Passed University: He graduated crow training, but that's the closest he has to a formal education. See the next line. Had Sex: He's had sex with Teia and Viago. Teia was his sex education. He felt awkward asking her, but he knew she was more knowledgeable. He then proceeded to come out to her as trans during a hands-on lesson about how his body worked. He got wasted the night he graduated training and annoyed/coaxed Viago into bed. Viago didn't believe that his brand was a tramp stamp and had to see it. Viago made him swear to secrecy and maintains that he just wanted Kai to shut up. Then there's Lucanis, but that all during/ after the game. Had Sex in Public: Not yet but he loves to tease those he cares for so he's probable drag Lucanis into some situation eventually. Gotten Tattoos: Yes. He discovered how much he loved them after he got his crow brand. He had skulls on his left arm and leg. It's his way of paying respects to death since it's his job to end lives. Gotten Piercings: No, I could see him wearing decretive ear cuffs for formal events, but nothing permanent. Gotten Scarred:  Yes, He has a ton from his time with the crows. He has his top surgery scars as well, but he doesn't view them as scars because he wanted them. Had a Broken Heart: No, He never loved anyone before Lucanis. He's had a crush or two, but they were nowhere near as strong.

Are They…

A cuddler: Yes! The man's handsy with everyone. He shows his affection through physical touch. He almost never takes his hands off Lucanis. He's usually hanging off his arm or has at least one hand touching him. If Lucanis is setting he's usually leaning on him. Scared Easily: Anxious mess, yes. Scared, no. He doesn't startle easy at all. Even when he is he's good at hiding it. Jealous Easily: Yes, especially when is comes to other crows thinking they can steal Lucanis from him to gain a better status. He's not the type to go after anyone though. He makes it clear through deliberate shows of affection that Lucanis has eyes for him. Trustworthy: Yes, if there's one thing you can trust him with it's to take care of his little found family. He'd drop anything for his veil guard.

Family

Sibling(s): None Parents: His mother was a Dalish elf who left her clan after giving birth to him. His father is an unknown merchant prince. His mother died while they were living on the streets of Treviso. She left her clan to find his father so they could be a family. She didn't know how to survive in the city and severely overestimated how happy the merchant prince would be to find out he had a new child. Children: None. Doesn't have any and doesn't plan on it ever. Pets: He's never had any but loves animals. He'd probably adopt several kinds of animals with Lucanis post veilguard.

[chaosherald]

Rook Appreciation Week

Day 3 - Ingellvar

An Adventure (mystery?) Serial in Which Everything is (absolutely not) Exactly as it Seems (Part 3 of 7)

(Thank you @rookappreciationweek for hosting!)

(Previously or Part 1)

Rook Volkarin loved the Necropolis. Home, secure, unchanging (or ever changing, depending on one’s perspective.) She had considered running away, once, and cringed at the very concept now. After all, that was before she had found herself crossing paths with and subsequently being adopted by Emmrich Volkarin.

A home. A proper home. Skeletal brother and all.

She was carefully guiding Manfred in preparing reagents, mortar and pestle grinding the elfroot to a fine consistent powder that hopefully didn’t end up all over the work table, when her father wandered into the room.

“Ah, there you both are! Hard at work, as usual.” Emmrich walked over, placing one of his hands on Rook’s back and the other on Manfred’s. “Very good, Manfred. You are being so careful.” He winked at Rook. “Obviously, he has a wonderful teacher today.”

Rook smiled. “He’ll be ready for caustic ingredients before the year ends.” 

Manfred hissed happily. He really wanted to be trusted with the acids and - 

A moment of panic struck Rook as she glanced at her feet. Why was she worried about being barefoot? She would never be barefoot when she was working.

Emmrich was smiling. “Now, let us not be in a hurry for that, yes? I am not sure my heart could handle it. Rook, I am going to take over for you here. My friend Professor Hezenkoss asked if you might be available to assist her today. I hope you do not mind.”

“Oh, no, of course not.” Rook stood up and made sure there wasn’t any wayward elfroot powder on her work apron.

“I am not sure if I should even mention it, but Johanna has hinted that she might have use for an apprentice. I know you are a full mage in your own right, my dear, but there is much to be said for studying under a master of Professor Hazenkoss’ caliber.” 

Rook smiled. “That would be lovely. Hopefully I am up to her standards.”

Hardly.

Her father gave her that look, the I-don’t-like-it-when-you-are-too-hard-on-yourself look. “Anyone should be thrilled to work with you, Rook. Never doubt that.”

The walk to Professor Hazenkoss’ lab was uneventful. Blink and she was there fast. Rook stood at the Professor's door, hand poised to knock and stopped.

Walking through the Necropolis should have involved wisps. Spirits. The Necropolis was always busy and Rook in particular seemed to stir the local inhabitants to make themselves known. 

Even now she could sense - something. Just on the edge of her senses. Spirits of Story, of Lies, of Determination and Wisdom and Rage and - oh. And a binding.

Maker’s Balls, girl. Just open the damned door.

On the door. There was a spell here. Waiting for her to walk right into its grasp. The boiling pot waiting for the frog. Magic still and anticipatory and screaming and Bellara in the forest and Lucanis at the cafe and Rook didn’t know what was going on, but she needed to warn Emmrich right now. She turned away from the door and ran.

Fool. Ingrate. To think, I was considering letting you assist me, was gifting you my undivided attention. And you fight it? You walk away? You are even more foolish than Volkarin, and that is saying something.

The Necropolis - the real Necropolis, this wasn’t real, she was sure of that now - changed, but not like this was changing. Corridors shifted and inverted and impossible doors gave way to sudden drops and Rook grabbed for the energy around her. It was close, too close, too much, but she threw it in front of her and focused on finding Emmrich and was swept along its currents like a leaf in a river.

Something was following her, close at her heels, but she quickly found herself back in their apartment. Manfred and Emmrich laying out lunch. Tea. A spot for her at the table and, oh, that was something she had always been looking for.

Yes. I gave you both something you want. A home for the lost little orphan. A family for the tragically lonely dotard. And you throw it back in my face. I’m done with you, hero. 

Yes, something she wanted. But not like this. “Emmrich,” Rook said, running over to him. “This isn’t real.”

“This isn’t…oh dear.” Rook could see the shift. Whatever was holding her, holding them in these fantasies, these dreams, it seemed flimsy enough that a simple misstep or prod broke its hold. “What a lovely dream, though. I sense we’re in the Fade, Rook. Physically, which is a tad concerning. Any sign of the others?”

“I found Bellara and Lucanis but we were separated again. I’m going to keep looking. Do you remember what happened?”

“I…ah. Rook, we need to hurry.” His eyes seemed to focus on whatever was behind Rook.

Fast or slow. It won’t make a difference. You are already too late, old friend.

“Johanna,” Emmrich said gruffly, gesturing behind him. A tear opened with the wave of his arm. “Go, Rook. I’ll delay here while you find the others.”

Rook hesitated. She wanted to argue. To insist on staying. To tell him that she wished she had a father like him, that they had crossed paths earlier in her actual time at the Necropolis. Maybe that would have made the place feel more like a home.

Disgusting sentiment. Here, let me help you along.

Another surge of power and Rook felt herself thrown into the rift.

TBC.

[supacutiepie]

My full playthrough verse for Dragon Age is 'What the World Asks of Its Children' and the idea is that we focus on children and how they change dynamics and themes in all four games. (Also I love Dorian and he's the main star for a good portion of the au because he started it with Theia and Ataashi) Origins: Running of the 78% reasonable idea that Aegis is the child being asked to save the world. So her real part of the story will be an after story tale, about her Mother, Edona. DA2: This time, Hawke is the parent and the twins are the children he raises with help from his companions. Hawke is a disabled ex-sexworker doing his very fucking best. (Instead of either Bethany or Carver dying in Lothering, it's Leandra. And the twins are way younger, at like ten or eleven during the opening act) Sort of between DA2 and Inquisition: Dorian and the story about his girls. 'A girl named Dragon': how he gets captured and meets a dying tal-vashoth, and how this ends with him adopting a little girl named Ataashi. And then 'The Ghost of a Girl', how he takes a terrified and mute elf under his coat and they make a little family. Also in this era is Bull's 'Sea of Candles'. where he learns he has a daughter but the human mother wants nothing to do with the child because it kiiiinda ruined her. Tal-Rasani is a treasure. Then we get into Inquisition: Where The Herald is an elvhen hunter named Liora who lost her husband at the conclave and the same day of the explosion she conceives her first child, several months later giving birth to a little girl named Dawn. And how the Inquisition changes when there are four little girls running around and then two angst twin teenagers LMAO PLUS morrigan has kieran. we're all girl dads here. Then to Veilguard: Rook is a Crow turned Warden. She was sweet ona boy several houses above hers, sweet for a long time and he even reciprocated her affections. enough so that they were each others only love - until she found out she was pregnant. His grandmother did not approve of the match at all, so she 'sent away' the girl and the child under the guise of 'its not safe to carry a dellamorte child' and that Rook would be able to deliver the babe somewhere safer. Bull shit. She got like, a month of rest after giving birth before she was ambushed by darkspawn. Caterina didn't know how pregnant Rook was because rook had suspicions about the old crone. So timeline was, Caterina was trying to get rid of both her and the baby. Rook is blighted, found by wardens carrying her newborn through the woods, and saved by the joining. All of this happens pre wigmaker - lucanis thinks his sweetheart was killed on an assignment bc thats what caterina tells everyone. i dont like this woman. cont

SO Lucanis thinks Rook was KIA. Never even knew she was pregnant. And Rook becomes a Warden sorta not her choice but it's what she can do, because she sort of thinks Caterina tried to kill her. So, she works with the Wardens, raises her daughter, and tries to think of a future. She doesn't get a chance to get much information about Antiva in. But she gets a single contact, she gets the news that the 'Demon of Vyrantium' is dead. That her 'Luca' is dead. So, for a year, she thinks Lucanis is dead, and he's thought she was dead for four years. Imagine his shock when she rescues him. Actually imagine VIAGO'S shock when Teia wide eyed and shocked brings Rock and Harding into the Diamond, imagine CATERINA'S shock and disdain, trying to twist it around as though Rook hid the fact she was alive. Rook doesn't mention her daughter, doesn't trust that information to the first talon at all but damn, she tells viago and teia in secret when she can. they agree, its not a safe place. SO... Imagine being Lucanis, first being rescued by the very alive first love you ever had. THEN her telling him not to freak out - but his mini me is five years old and running amok in the lighthouse. And then, imagine seeing some FUCK ASS Warden pick up said lil girl and she squeals about her 'uncle dav!' and oh BOY you thought those two were catty before???? now its a DAD FIGHT (It's not, because literally everyone and the spirits can tell that little girl belongs to Lucanis, but Lucanis is so deep in his head about spite he's terrified she'll get hurt so he tries to remain distanced but this is literally the one thing he's wanted his whole life SOOOO) ((Also, those weeks where rook is gone? Dad Adventures, the estranged father and the step dad LMAOO) ANYWAYS!! I'm going to piece together this big massive au little by little. It's been my little pride and joy for seven, eight, TEN years man.

[mx-pastelwriting]

Just wanna show off my Rook!

This is my second game play (We don't talk about my first rook :)).

Spoilers up ahead!

Isn't she pretty~ Pronouns are She/Her and is Non-Binary! Also is a mage.

Her name is Lavellan! Yes, that's her first name. Why? Let's get to her backstory I made in my crazy little head! NOT CANON (I know my made-up backstory for her isn't going to make sense with the game's timeline, but let's pretend it's more than ten years!)

Lavellan's backstory (In my head) is that she is a Shadow Dragon being adopted as a foundling with an unknown origin found only with the name "Lavellan" attached to her (A name or filing marker from being stolen??). Her adoptive parents, wanting her to have as much of her Elven origin as possible, kept it as her name.

Raised in a military family, later joining the Shadow Dragons before meeting Varric. Varric, trying to find traces of Solas, hears about a child born months after his disappearance, along with echoes of the inquisitor's mourning of a child (Mourning or cries of her child having been kidnapped?).

If you haven't pieced it together by now, yes, my backstory for my Rook is that she is the secret love child of my Inquisitor and Solas…🧍I don't care if the timeline doesn't make sense.

Of course neither Solas nor the Inquisitor, or even Rook, knows when coming face to face, but Varric does as soon as he finds her, seeing both Solas and the Inquisitor in her face, bringing back old memories of fighting alongside Solas and the Inquisitor. (I wanted to spice up my second gameplay, so I created all of this on the support beam of a toothpick.)

I tried my best to give her their looks. Giving her a similar vallaslin to her mother. Also, it doesn't show much, but her eyes are a mix of Solas's purple eyes and her mother's amber eyes.

Now what features are from who? Jaw and some of her shin came from Inky. Eyes and hair color are from Solas. Color in the cheeks and cheek plumpness are from Inky, though cheekbones are from Solas. Lip shape from Solas and plumpness from Inky. Finally, the eyebrows being the shape of Solas's and Inky's thinness.

My Inquisitor before and after:

Definitely had a glow up! I took more time on this Inky compared to my first playthrough.

Meeting her mother. (My headcanon for this scene is that the Inquisitor, when looking at Rook, feels some kind of connection but can't put her finger on it with all that is going on with the world; she can't think on it too much, sadly.)

Now meeting Pop Pop. (Also feeling a connection with Rook when looking at her but thinks it's because she has similar features as the Inquisitor, so doesn't think on it anymore than that as two tyrant gods are running around.)

Last thoughts. No Solas or the Inquisitor or even Rook would ever know they are related. Though when Solas and the Inquisitor when in the Fade, they would comment on Rook's features and the name, but they have other things to do and passes the name off as a clan thing.

The Inquisitor would open up to Solas about both of them having a child out there somewhere in the world, not knowing if they are alive or dead, but with them both having painful wounds still open needing to be healed, the topic would drop off, but the thoughts and questions would still linger in their heads.

NOW ROMANCE!! Bit of Spoilers!!!

Romancing Lucanis this time around, as my first playthrough, I romanced Emmrich. Which was amazing! But my jaw is dropping with this scene, so I'm excited to see what's next!

I haven't gotten that far in the romance or game, so I don't have the great ending clip (Solavellan ending) just yet, but I'll post it when I get there if my console doesn't shit the bed on me again. yes again. I'm still bitter.

Thank you for reading my rambles! Hope you had fun reading it!

Heres more gifs of my Rook! GIF DUMP!!!

The lie detector test determined that you are the father!

[lightan117]

Mourn Watch Headcannons 2

I had to make more now that I've finished the game....

As a reminder - this is based on the character that I've used, but I've mostly tried to keep Rook's gender natural.

Mourn Watch in general:

Students 100% ship Myrna and Vorgoth together. They also have little betting pools on which professors sleep with whom. Many students also end up as couples that eventually lead to the next generation.

Speaking of students - the students are the entire gossip pool of the Necropolis. The teachers get their information from the students.

Nevarran beetles are 100% pets (think Scarabs). Mourn Watchers will try to have different colors and species. Golden beetles are rare, but green ones are common.

More on the Grand Necropolis is Hogwarts - first-year students ALWAYS get lost, and search parties always stand by the first few months to find the ones who are. Spirits who are restless might "lure" people away and just peace out when they are well and truly lost (Vorgoth is never happy when this time rolls around)

If students get in trouble, their punishments are to deal with the gentry and clean their tombs. Ever want to hear a spirit complain about how students are not cleaning their tomb correctly? No, didn't think so.

Everyone knows that Markus Pentaghast is dead or undead. It may not be confirmed, but low-key, everyone knows that man is not really "alive." Emmrich confirms it with Lucanis, but we all know Mourn Watchers just know in general just by reading the news. The king was poisoned again? Of course, it didn't work—the man is already dead, guys. Take a hint.

They love to throw any type of fancy party to one-up each other. If someone is having a fight, they don't brawl - they throw the biggest party to show off.

Mourn Watch Rook:

Mourn Watch Rook, when traveling to Treviso, will always look to see if there is anything that they can bring back for Myrna and Vorgoth (Big sister and brother energy). Def will try and get Vorgoth and Viago together to talk about paintings.

There is a scene where Harding mentions Rooks' speech not being as proper unless they are talking to a fellow mourn watcher—THIS IS ON PURPOSE, NO ONE CAN KNOW THAT THEY ARE VERY PROPER IN SPEECH! They worked really hard that first year with Varric to be "normal." They can switch back and forth really easily.

Minrathous is the place they dislike the most due to their view on spirits and power. Feels bad for those in Dock Town - hate everyone up top. Politics are almost the same but not as bad I feel.

Would pester Emmrich (in the best way) about what they missed in Nevarra and any lessons he could teach them. Lessons from one of the top professors in the Mourn Watch? Why the fuck not?! They can also nerd out together about all things undead.

Assan and Manfred are the favorites of the whole group

Rook has beetles in their room - fight me - everyone knows and thinks its weird when they show up at the lighthouse with a glass case full of beetles. Spite thinks they're cool.

(End of Game) Mourn Watch Rook and dating:

If Mourn Watch Rook is dating Lucanis, they would have a hard time once everything is...normal I guess? I'm sure the Mourn Watch would give the nobility the middle finger if they protest Rook coming back to Nevarra (they would be welcomed back with open arms - Rook just made them fucking famous). Their role, they take seriously, but they would find some common ground to meet in the middle. I could see that the Mourn Watch would allow Rook to work out of Treviso but have to make trips home for rites/reports/gossip. Rook is the only exception tho, everyone is shit out of luck until Rook decides to put forward change. Lucanis and Rook do end up getting married and having a bunch of kids (adoption or by natural).

If Mourn Watch Rook is dating Emmrich, they would move back to Nevarra to live together. Rook would be allowed back into the Mourn Watch cuz why the fuck not...

(Spoilers!)If Emmrich became a Litch - I would feel things would be difficult due that the man is undead and would outlive them (there is no going around that topic; it will be rough). There will be arguments and such, but after about, I would say, a year, things will die down into a routine. The topic of marriage might come up and there might be one. (Lots of convos about what happens when Rook does die). Emmrich might try to stay teaching students and opening up conversations with Litchs still having relationships with the living as per his relationship with Rook being an example. An uphill battle if you choose this route.

(Spoilers!) If Emmrich did NOT become a Litch - this route might be a tid difficult but not as much as if Emmrich is a litch. Since he's human with Manfred (Manny as I call him) you two are in your perfect little bubble that no one can pop. Emmirch would go back to teaching and Rook could do whatever they want. They could teach if they wanted, become an instructor, or even help Myrna. Emmrich does have fears of his death still but Rook would be there to help him along with Manny. When the time comes, Rook would not be left alone.

[lgvalenzuela]

Oc tag game

Got tagged spiritually by @thedissonantverses since at the time I was super busy, but I finally finished my student reports

Name: Finn Cousland, sometimes also known as Finn Tabris

Alias: Rook, The Thorne (by the Wardens)

Gender: Cisgender man

Age: 25

Place of Birth: Fereldan, with a tiny bit of Antivan in him

Spoken Languages: Common, and very little Elvhen (enough to be polite)

Sexual Orientation: Demiaromantic (he doesn’t know), pansexual

Occupation: Grey Warden, Heir of the Couslands

Favorites

Color: Purple and copper

Entertainment: Observing and analyzing people. Getting in people's good graces or wooing them is big on entertainment there

Past time: Reading, playing chess, cards, puzzles… any activity that’s cerebral and challenging enough. And a healthy amount of sparring and training

Drink: To Lucanis’ dismay, he prefers tea

Books: He does an unhealthy amount of reading, the topic doesn’t really matter since he just likes learning in general, but he will probably pick something on history or battle strategy. If he reads fiction, he likes romance (especially if it’s spicy)

Have they…

Passed University: He had an excellent education thanks to his noble ties

Had Sex: Certified manwhore

Had Sex in Public: What hasn’t he done at this point

Gotten Tattoos: No

Gotten Piercings: Also no

Gotten Scars: Plenty, if they’re from training or fighting darkspawn he doesn’t remember anymore. But he remembers the ones he gets during Veilguard, especially the one at Weisshaupt

Had a Broken Heart: In a way. He has been engaged before, family things, but broke his engagement because he knew his fiance didn’t love him and he didn’t love her, he still thinks of her because he considers this one of the most selfish things he’s ever done

Been in Love: No, until now

Are they…

A cuddler: Surprisingly for him, he is. Nobody ever stayed long enough to check

Scared easily: Very, but he’s become way too good at hiding it

Jealous easily: Not really

Trustworthy: You can trust him with pretty much anything, he likes getting on people’s good side too much to not be

Family

Siblings: A little sister, Saoris

Parents: Ronan Cousland died during the Fifth Blight and sadly Finn was way too young and Ronan wasn’t present enough for him to remember him properly. His mother Ciara Tabris though was enough of a good mother to cover for his loss, her husband Zevran loves him as his own so he did grow up with a very loving set of parents. But he has… a lot of feelings about his relationship with Zevran and not being able to remember Ronan…

Children: He loves children, and he will become the best uncle in the world. But he’s probably never going to have children of his own. Lucanis and him agree to this since there’s no way they’d let the Crows get their hands of any potential children they might adopt

Pets: Does Spite count?

[madamemortem]

Day 1: Troubles and Trinkets

My first contribution for #DavrinWeek2025 by @datvcompanionweeks

Prompt: Nature/Nurture; Shepherd/Hunter

Summary: Davrin argues with a sick Rook. Assan takes her side. Manfred makes tea.

We're looking at about 2K words under the cut so feel free to read on A03 instead.

"Assan." The warden stood in the doorway of Rook's bedroom, hands on his hips and a shake to his head. Light spilled into the room, but Rook didn't need it to see Davrin's expression. They knew that tone. "I thought I told you to leave her alone."

The offending griffon, now too big to fit in Davrin's cot and armchair, sat curled beside Rook's bedridden form, his big head perched on her hip. It was one of the few pieces of furniture the griffon could still rest on and Rook was all too willing to share. The expansive bed was the epitome of luxury, layered in soft linens of rich purples and cream. A gift from the Crows when the First Talon regaled them with the horrors of Rook's sleeping situation during their plot against the Evanuris. When they learned Rook chose to keep her bedroom (and the offending couch) in the Lighthouse after Minrathous, Teia would hear none of it. 

Besides, Rook enjoyed reminding her husband that the bed was a gift to her, and that no matter how much Lucanis got on his nerves, the warden was banned from using the bed as wood for his carvings.

Still, the sight of Rook bedridden in such a large bed made him uneasy. They had both seen so much death in their time together. It was hard not to see the similarities: the pale, clammy skin, the messy, tangled hair, the hoarse and labored breathing. Davrin was never good with uncertainties.

The necromancer scratched at Assan's ear lazily, amused at her boys' antics, but too weak to join in the fun. She waved to Davrin with her free hand. "You also told him to keep an eye on me while you're gone. Besides, he's been good company thus far."

The warden nodded to the random trinkets scattered about the bed. "I see he's also been stealing figurines out of the display case again."

Rook sighed at the miniature hurlock resting on her pillow. "I don't think he's ever stopped. We're going on six weeks now, aren't we, boy?"

Assan was all too happy to take credit for that. Davrin still held out hope this was just a phase for their half-bird, half-cat son. For weeks, he and Rook found shiny pebbles, wooden figurines, scraps of fabric, and other trinkets appearing in their bed. The warden made the grave mistake of blaming Manfred and suffered the wrath of the wisp's father and adoptive aunt. Who else would've been able to gather everything unnoticed? The griffon had the grace of a wild bronto in an apothecary. And Davrin took great pride in knowing he never taught Assan to steal.

"Anyway, how goes the world beyond the Lighthouse?" Rook teased, her hand still petting the griffon's head on her lap. "Find anything fun? Or did Bellara break them all again?"

That made him chuckle. Davrin closed the double doors behind him and took up his post at her bedside. "We only managed to save one, but it was enough to get Strife to cooperate with us. The contact he gave us currently lives in Cumberland so I have Emmrich handling the introductions."

She shook her head in thought. "I honestly think you're all blowing this out of proportion. It's just a fever."

"You also can't keep any food down. You're exhausted after a morning patrol and you're losing control over your magic in the Fade." Davrin reached for the warmed towel on the nightstand and wiped at the sweat on her brow. "I'll take any advice to get you upright and out of here again."

Rook scoffed but did not shy from his touch. "It was just a surge of magic. A simple unmonitored accumulation of the etheric energy. Like a growth spurt. Or a burp. Need I remind you, we ended up needing those undead soldiers anyway!"

"...you almost knocked Manfred out of his skeleton."

"And I apologized." Rook side-eyed her husband with renewed energy and a slight tug to her lips. "Which is more than I could say for you. Isn't that right, my good boy?"

Assan crooned from his spot on her lap, big eyes watching her every move like a responsible member of the family. It was Davrin's turn to roll his eyes.

"You're making him soft, you know." A winged force of nature, with talons and a beak meant to rip darkspawn apart like paper, reduced to a lapdog. Not that he could blame the griffon. Rook just had that affect on people. And griffons. And demons.

A soft, clammy hand slipped into his, pulling the warden's attention back. Rook's clear blue eyes met Assan's as she resumed her attentions to his ears. "Maybe he's always been soft. He just never had a chance to show it. Not when the world's telling him it's a weakness, that is."

Davrin followed Rook's gaze to Assan, his eyes tracing over the muscles beneath the fur and feathers. Muscles that could bear explosive strength at a moment's call. With so few griffons left, Assan and his siblings had to be strong. Fearless. There was no room for cuddles. "It could get him killed."

"Or save him from himself." The hand in his disappeared and came to rest against Davrin's cheek. It was a clammy sort of comfort, but the warden missed it all the same. Rook's thumb brushed over a scar he'd earned a few months ago fighting a shriek. She was looking at him now. Her gaze shining with that soft intensity that used to make him nervous early in their friendship and well into their relationship.

"We're...not talking about Assan anymore, are we?"

Her eyes crinkled beneath her brilliant smile. "Took you long enough."

"I swear, woman," he murmured into her palm, dotting it with kisses. "You mess with my head more than the blight ever did."

He was rewarded with a soft giggle, like this moment was a secret for the two to share. She hummed as she brushed over his scar again. "And the softy in you loves me for it."

Davrin met her gaze, no longer searching for answers, but the will to say what needed to be said. He hung his head with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For getting upset yesterday. I was angry...and scared." He let out a shaky breath. "I don't think I've ever seen you collapse like that."

Silence hung in the air between them before Rook shifted and patted at the open spot beside her. Alone in the Lighthouse and away from prying eyes, Davrin didn't hesitate to fill in the space and gather Rook in his arms.

"Oh, my love," Rook murmured into his chest, taking deep breaths of the one of the few scents that didn't make her stomach churn. "Don't apologize for how you felt. Feelings are natural responses. It's what you choose to do with those feelings that define your character."

Davrin pulled away to peer at her. "Are you calling me a villain?"

"Well I don't imagine strapping heroic Grey Wardens would ever call their partners stupid idiots."

The reminder sobered him instantly and he tightened his hold around her, desperate to find the right words. "I never should've said that. I'm sorry, Isha. I didn't mean it. I'm the idiot."

"I accept your apology. Just bear in mind I'm not as forgiving the second time." Rook leaned up to press a soft kiss to his nose. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

The warden snorted and pressed a kiss of his own to her warm cheeks. "Like pulling teeth."

"But it didn't kill or maim you. Interesting. Maybe that softness isn't as lethal as you make it out to be."

It pulled a smile out of him. That freeing feeling of being soft and vulnerable made his stomach flip again. It didn't visit often when they were out fighting darkspawn or mercenaries, but the feeling lingered in their time together. Years of training for explosive, deadly action caved under the brilliance of her smile and soft tenderness, giving way to different possibilities - one where he didn't need to be the vigilant hunter, but a guide, helping Assan and his siblings build lives away from the carnage. Even if that meant dealing with piles of kidnapped figurines.

Much later into the night - or what they considered to be night in the Lighthouse - Emmrich arrived with Manfred in tow. Both professor and student were eager to see their fellow necromancer after they heard the news.

"Rook!" Manfred cried as he pushed the doors open, startling Rook awake. She could tell the poor thing had escaped Emmrich's clutches because his pack was still on his back, jostling whatever treasures were stuffed inside. "Rook! Rook! Rook!"

"Hello, Manfred, darling!" Rook greeted from beneath Davrin's heavy arm. "Quiet now. Uncle Davrin's sleeping."

"Okay!" The apprentice was just as bad as his feathery cousin. Just as Assan stood from his spot with a much needed stretch, another voice trickled in. One that spoke of home and smelled of the tomes in her favorite library.

Emmrich arrived with a soft smile on his face, his attire still impeccable. As expected of the gentleman necromancer. "Rook, my dear. We came as soon as we could."

"That's alright." She nudged at Davrin until he stirred, which was one attempt too many. "This one here posted a guard at my door. Well, my feet to be exact."

"As he should! It's essential that you get as much rest as possible. Speaking of which," Emmrich furrowed his brow at his student and his attempt to mimic the griffon's sleepy stretches. "Manfred, could you please put your bag away and put on some tea? Preferably the raspberry blend."

"Okay!"

She wasn't going to miss out on this moment. "Assan, darling, keep an eye on Manfred."

Moments later, they were fur- and bone-child free. Emmrich had slipped his coat off and seated himself at her free side to work. It had been easy for the two necromancers to fall into conversations together. There was so much of Nevarra that the others couldn't speak about and Rook envied Emmrich's ability to return home at his leisure. At least they welcomed him with open arms for his efforts. 

Emmrich held his hand over her head, his face calm and relaxed as he conducted his examination. The blasé expression had the opposite effect on Rook and after another long moment of silence between conversations, she huffed.

"I'm beginning to think my husband was right and there is something deathly wrong with me."

Emmrich cocked his head, amusement tugging at his features. "Well, aside from the nausea, which the tea should address, your other symptoms should dissipate within a day or two. Given that you refrain from stressful encounters, of course. The added stress could result in another surge of magic, especially while traversing in the Fade. It isn't a common occurrence, but in most recorded cases, surges indicate the fetus may present magic-wielding capabilities by age two or three. However, I would advise against testing that theory. The risk isn't worth jeopardizing the pregnancy so early in the first trimester."

Time stood still amidst Emmrich's chatter. He stated it with such certainty. As if it were the one and only solution to their mystery. Maker, how it made the world spin and blur all at once.

"I-I'm pregnant?" she whispered, her hands shaking as she reached for Emmrich's. "I'm pregnant?"

The senior necromancer had that look about him again and he glanced at the trinkets still on the bed. "Undoubtedly. Were you not aware? I assumed you were, given Assan's nesting behaviors."

"No! We've been so busy with- It's only been-" All at once, Rook was met with wave after wave of emotion. Fear, apprehension, and suspicion swirled into waves of elation, adoration, and joy. She was pregnant - not sick or dying, but pregnant. Wait. "'Nesting behaviors'?"

"Yes," he stated matter-of-factly. "I'm no ornithologist but I am acquainted with the gift-giving tendencies of several avian species. It's likely he caught on to your condition and acted on instinct."

She swung her hand and smacked her husband hard in the chest. The impact shocked the warden so hard Davrin tumbled out of the bed with a grunt and fell flat on his face.

"I'm up! I'm up!" he cried as he scrambled to his feet, poised and ready to fight. Davrin blinked once, twice, until his vision steadied, and he met his wife's wide-eyed gaze. Oh Maker, he knew that look. "What happened? Emmrich? What's wrong?"

Rook's eyes shimmered with tears threatening to spill over. Everything about her expression sent red flags in his head. First a sick wife; now a crying one. Was his apology not enough? Did he say something stupid in his sleep?

"Davrin," she sniffled. "We're pregnant."

He would've liked to tell their friends he remained the calm, stoic warden that led the other wardens during the siege of Minrathous, but his wife - and due to unfortunate timing, Emmrich - knew the truth. Davrin, Rook's soft-hearted Grey Warden, former monster hunter, and leader of Arlathan's new feathery brigade, fainted at the news.

What a softy.

[woundedsoul12]

OC list because why not?

1. Riley 'Beefcake' Mercar - My first Rook. M!Qunari!Mage!Shadow Dragon Lucanis/Spite lover and my baby

He's also been shipped with multiple OCs including his baby mama Osla @meetraart who drew this for him

2. Brick Mercar - M!Warrior!Human!Shadow Dragon adopted brother to Riley. He is paired with Illario and a few OCs. He is also a trans man (part of the reason the Mercar trio don't talk to their parents anymore)

Matt Mathews is his inspiration

3. Fennec Mercar- F!Rogue!Human!Shadow Dragon sister to Riley and Brick. She's the fence for the Shadows. While she is close with Brick and Brick is close with Riley, her and Riley don't see eye to eye ever. Lots of childhood trauma as she was the golden child. She loves Neve and teams with Solas to save her city

Her inspiration is Alice Cullen played by Ashley Greene

4. Celeste Laidir- my angsty F!Rogue!Human!LoF Rook. Romancing Spite/Lucanis. I use her a lot for angst prompts and such. She a true pirate

Her inspiration is Avril Lavigne

5. Kenneth 'Kenn' Ingellvar. M!Mw!Human!Mage Rook and lover of Taash.

Inspo- Ryan Gosling specifically from Barbie

6. Marina de Riva- F!Elf!Rogue!Crow Rook. Emmrich's spicy little Antivan pepper.

Inspo- Eva Green

7. Lena Mercar - F!Rogue!Human!Shadow dragon. My Ashurook. The lover of the Divine.

Inspo Natalie Dormir from The Hunger Games

8. Ronald 'Ronnie' Thorne - M!Qunari!Warrior!Warden. He and Viago have a thing. He is also the same Warden who is hooking up with my sweet Harding and Bellara's Alpha for my omegaverse. Man gets around and rightly so

His inspo is Tom Hardy specifically from Legend

9. Sam - Lover of all Rooks and writer of letters.

His inspo is Pedro Pascal

10. Lea Trevelyan - I have several Inquisitors from the past, but Lea is the only one I really write about anymore. F!Warrior!Human. She and Varric are probably my favorite couple

Inspo Brienne of Tarth and her actress Gwendoline Christie

11. Envoy- Riley is my Canon envoy. NB and lover of the Living Lands and all NPCs

I also have my NB Rook who is with Trans!Lucanis. My elf who I ship with Davrin. My Dwarf Rook with Elek. My Elf with Felassan. And my Durge/Tavs. But this is enough for today and I'm only allowed 10 photos anyway 🤣

These OCs aren't as fleshed out as my other guys anyway and I write entirely too much

I hope this is everyone 🙈

[tkwritesdumbassassins]

OC Tag Game

tagged by @imrowanartist (Thank you so much!)

I (no pressure) tag @say-lene @selunesdreams @zealousdetectivegladiator @novarunestone @dell-amor-te and whoever else wants to do this!

GENERAL

Name: Isotta Flavia Grimaldi de Riva

Alias(es): Rook, Izzy, Iz, Idiot (Thanks to Viago)

Gender: Female

Age: 30

Place of birth: Murano--a minor city northwest of Salle

Spoken languages: Trade, Antivan (Modern and Old), with a passing in Tevene (Both). While she was taught Qunlat during the Inquisition, she's better at writing it rather than speaking it. Last but not least: some elven, courtesy of her stepfather

Sexual orientation: Bisexual

Occupation: Antivan Crow, Inquisition Scout, Information Broker, Code Breaker

FAVORITE

Color: Purple!

Entertainment: Hitting up dockside taverns, book club with the rest of the Veilguard, sharing stories about bad jobs and her adventures with the Inquisition, the occasional opera (or three), aiding Bellara in springboarding ideas for her stories, making up the worst punny names for Lucanis (her favorite is "Ser Surleigh of Stabbington". He says he is not amused.)

Pastime: Cooking, bookbinding, reading, editing, occasionally tries her hand at making her own wine. Likes to translate and read political theories for fun

Food: Isotta is not picky by any means since one can't exactly have luxury food while out in the field or on a job. Although she will absolutely devour a bag of those Tevene fire sticks (Theodosian version of hot cheetos) or a plate of agnolotti del plin if it's placed in front of her. She's got quite the taste for expensive Murano chocolates, too--something she often has to bribe Spite with once or thrice.

Drink: Biccerins, marocchinos, Antivan Apple Brandy, coffee (hot and iced--shh don't tell Lucanis), and a glass of Antivan red--the finest and most expensive, otherwise Viago would have her head if he heard otherwise

Books: Maker's Breath, don't make her choose. She loves all the books. EXCEPT romance (so she says)

HAVE THEY

Passed university: In a sense? Her mother and stepfather were both highly respected academics in their fields

Had sex: Yes.

Sex in public: ...Possibly.

Gotten tattoos: She has several. The crest of House de Riva on her forearm, a royal elfroot with its roots wrapped around a piece of cheese on her ankle (it matches with her closest friends in the Scouts. This is what happens when three women are camped for the night, drunk in the middle of the Dales, and one of them happens to be a hobbyist tattooist lmao.)

Gotten piercings: She has a nose piercing that's a twin to her friend Silvana. She often changes it out to match her outfits

Gotten scarred: Izzy has several scars from various jobs, trips/stumbles, and excursions, but most prominent is the one on her face. She got that one trying to impress one of her first crushes at around 14 by trying to do cool things with a stick. Needless to say: it didn't pan out the way she wanted to.

Had a broken heart: More than once.

Been in love: She's had several crushes over the years, but there was ever only one love, and it went down horribly in flames. As she put it herself: "I was young, dumb, and naive." Luckily, a broody Crow with a soft spot for wyverns, coffee, and knives sweeps her off her feet and treats her like the queen she is. ;)

ARE THEY

A cuddler: Let's put it this way: poor Lucanis has woken up more than once absolutely koala hugged by Isotta. Like we're talking he cannot move. (not like he wants to anyway lmao)

Scared easily: Isotta has seen some shit, so no. ...but she also tends to focus a lot on her work. So needless to say she can get jumpy lamo

Jealous easily: Nope.

Trustworthy: Yes. She's considered one of the few Crows Viago trusts above all else even if it appears he doesn't show it. She's also a respected information broker

FAMILY

Sibling(s): She had two younger half-siblings. Tommaso and Dalia who tragically died very young. Her adoptive sibling however is @redhairedmuses' Lennox Mercar who she jokingly calls "Fratellino." While yes, Viago de Riva is her cousin, Isotta considers him more her older grumpy brother

Parents: Sofia Belmonte, the youngest daughter of a Merchant Prince House and Nicolò de Riva, an Antivan Crow otherwise known by his infamous moniker "El Cazador." They met while Nicolò was on a group contract with the fellow Houses of Aranai and Dellamorte to bring down the inner circle of a blossoming Blood mage cult. Being a powerful mage herself, she had been on their radar for years, and the Crows used that to their advantage. It was only a fling between them due to this betrothal, and they parted ways not long after.

However, Isotta considers her stepfather, Alessandro Grimaldi, more her father anyhow.

Children: After defeating the Gods, Lucanis and Isotta eventually welcome three children: Sofia, Federico, and Emilia.

Pets: Felix, her orange fluffy boy who doesn't trust easily. Post-Veilguard, I suppose you can say a wyvern (But Belladonna is more Lucanis' baby than hers). I do see her eventually picking up her cousin's habits and keeping several vipers on hand.

[rederiswrites]

Arden Mercar

Fighting style: Two sword duelist (and a very very good one at that), decent archer when pressed.

Faction: Shadow Dragons

Age: 28 at the beginning of the events of Veilguard

Backstory: Adopted only son of Legatus Charon Mercar, a high-ranking general of the Tevinter military. Grew up in the upper ranks of Soporati culture, trained from a young age to succeed his father as a military man. Rebelled and went to Minrathous to create his own life. Spent a while doing odd jobs as a guard, got in with some of the wrong people and did some things he wasn't proud of, until he found the Shadow Dragons. The Shadow Dragons gave him clarity of purpose and a new use he could live with for the martial and leadership skills that had been drilled into him.

Also he had kinda a huge crush on the Viper and though he's since moved on, he will probably go catatonic if he ever learns who the Viper really is.

Romance: He fell hard for Lucanis. Initially for maybe not all the right reasons--Lucanis' badassery and (trained, not natural) smooth talk was very very sexy to him. But as he got to see more and more of the real Lucanis, the love deepened and the texture of his care for Lucanis changed to something much richer. Arden is pretty casual and comfortable about sex and romance, which was always a pretty straightforward good time for him, and he has to put a lot of thought and care into approaching Lucanis in a way Lucanis can deal with. It's work he's absolutely eager to do, but there's some trial and error.

Solas: That is more than a paragraph or two will tell, but Arden's interactions are all colored by his starting point, and that's Varric. Varric believed in Solas' good heart, and Arden trusted Varric. Varric wanted to give Solas a chance, and so Arden comes to Solas with an open mind. After that, things...get messy. Obviously.

But the trouble is, no matter how furious Arden gets at Solas, he carries understanding around his neck like a stone. He understands the strategic value of Solas's choices. He's been trained all his life in making the hard choices, in taking a dispassionate approach to strategy. He didn't like it much, but he's stuck knowing it. He understands the reasons for Solas's betrayal. He even understands, given time, the great deception. Understands "whatever it takes". Understands that in a way he has been relying on Solas more all this time than he realized, that they're inseparably entangled in this. Oh, he's furious. He wishes he didn't understand. But he does. So he can't just condemn Solas and be done. And ultimately, the forces Arden brings to bear turn Solas from his path.

[operative-arrow]

Tag Word Game!

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word.

I was viciously attacked by both @muqington and @introvertedfangrl with the words DROWN and PEACH

I'm going to spare you a third tag FOR NOW

But @muqington, @lucaanis, aaand @basedonconjecture can all catch a tag if you'd like!

(it occurs to me that I forgot to give a new word so I am EDITING IT IN NOW)

Your new word is ANTIDISESTABLI-

I mean EMBER

“Domenico! I told you to lay low!” Viago shouts, having noticed his sentry streets away. Radas, walking quietly at Varric’s side, had noticed the movement too. He let out a small laugh at the scramble, quickly stifling it as Viago directed a raised eyebrow his way.

“Rook, I wish you would be a little more careful with our surroundings when here-” the older mage in her company comments.

“I was being careful, Emmerich!” Kolt chuckles. “One hole in one coffin-”

“Sarcopha-”

“I blasted like, a bunch of pots back in that other room when that Venatori dodged.”

“I know.” Emmerich sounds tired.

“Okay, Lucanis. Whenever you’re ready.” Nodding to Lucanis, the elf steps past him towards Nico, a hand reaching to touch the Crow’s shoulder in his way of comfort before he goes. The man shifts away before he can make contact and gets up, following the Talons into the casino. Frowning as he approaches the balcony’s railing, Radas looks at his hand like it’s betrayed him and tucks it back beneath his cloak. Stupid.

"Will Tarquin?” The exiled warrior turns her snarling, dragon-masked helmet towards him as she quips back. Behind her mask she smirks as The Viper disengages and returns to staring at the target. Irini briefly considers the question at face value. Davrin was going to try getting her to relax, by taking Assan to Arlathan again. Lydia needed it. When she speaks again it’s her turn to sound amused. “She will be happy there are a few less venatori in the world when she gets back from her mission.”

"Nico!" Radas takes a few steps after the crow, but he's already out of reach, "Wait!" He stops short, looking with turmoil at the friends around him. “Okay. Bellara, follow Nico and Lucanis. Help them get people out. Watch out for Nico if you can..” He shrugs his slender shoulders and adopts a look of resolve. “The rest of us will go after Neve. If one team finishes, they'll head to help the other.”

"Play the victim?” They never used to fight, but she'd heard that hurt tone before. Usually when she was talking to her family. She had been thinking about what she was going to say if she ever saw Lydia again. For years. To have it fizzle out in a sob and be met with an equally angry ‘that didn't happen’ had her puzzled. She thought getting it all said was supposed to bring catharsis. All it has done was burn her out.

She studies Lydia's face the best she can in the dim light. “I would never have left.” Her voice is also shaky but far quieter than their previous exchange.

Envy impacts against the sarcophagus, reeling from the last hit. Kolt grins and throws her metal, bladed staff like a javelin, piercing through it and the stone box, pinning it in place. The envy demon shrieks and Kolt makes a fist, crackling with electricity before channeling the energy at the lightning rod. The envy demon only has a few moments to screech before it disappears.

At the touch, soft as it is, Radas freezes, a shock going up his spine. He turns halfway and returns a smile over his shoulder, trying to hide at least half of his red face. “Y-yes. I’ll be there.. Markets, two hours after sunrise.” He reaches up and pats Nico’s hand with his own. “See you tomorrow, Domenico.”

Chuckling softly as they callback to their first conversation, his face breaks out into a true and proper blush. That seemed like a long time ago. His fingers press into the cover of the book at his side just a little harder, and his steps after turning back around are a little faster.

Hearing the door swing open causes Irini to jump, nearly losing the letter before cramming it back into the pack. When she looks up and sees Lydia walking in, her expression changes from startled, to a frown.

“Well, Her Majesty, the Archon herself, graces us little people with her presence. What a gift.”