#in any case. would hate to be teia in the antiva case...

[serensama]

A word with friends

Thank you to @hedwigoprah for creating this game and to @jenn2d2 for assisting in her stead and coming up with this wonderful prompt this week! Love you both ❤️

This week's word is Perspicacious:

Definition:

Quick in noticing, understanding, or judging things accurately or of acute mental vision or discernment.

Also Perspicaciously, Perspicaciousness , or Perspicacity.

This week’s is longer because I missed last week’s redolent which I also slipped in :D

How long will I be able to keep up this prompt driven fic? We shall see! (The ongoing fic/document will be updated in my masterlist in case anyone wants to read the whole thing hehe) ^_^

———

Lilya hated when he did this. Acted like he was a hurt or offended older brother after he ascended to Fifth Talon. She was no longer a fledgling under his wing but someone he had trusted to shield him, to be his blade and confidante. But no, in one fell swoop she felt like their history had been wiped clean and he was just that Crow who checked in on her from time to time to see if she’d been killed yet.

The man hissed as he sat down, rubbing his leg under the table - something he only ever did in her or Teia’s presence- taking his time to collect his thoughts. She did not dare to move or breathe too heavily in case it seemed like she was too affected by his reaction to Illario, lest he find reason to go back out and strike his cane upon him again like he was her whipping boy. Not that she was worried about him. Viago wouldn’t seriously hurt him, he respected Caterina too much, and as much of an idiot as Illario was, he was still a well trained Crow. It would take more than a few hits with a stick to break him.

Knowing Illario he was probably already at the Diamond, charming some pretty noble with stories about his injuries, that they were from rescuing a child from a runaway horse, or perhaps from fulfilling a contract killing a rival assassin to save the King of Antiva. Some bullshit. Illario was always good at spinning fanciful tales that for some reason only she could see through. How that was possible was a mystery to her, for he was such a terrible liar.

The silence stretched on between them, Viago drumming his fingers against the polished blackwood of his desk, absentmindedly pushing his writing pad to the correct angle, fixing his slightly askew quill in its holder. Oh, was he waiting for her to say something first? Not bloody likely.

The last time that happened the two of them got into such a heated argument, she hastily accepted a contract that was too dangerous for her to do alone, but she was so stubborn and angry that she went off and did it anyway.

When she came back home, no worse for wear, in less time than the mission had allotted for- Viago didn’t talk to her for a week. He looked so furious at her she truly did think he was going to poison her.

Lilya had gone to Teia at a loss at what to do, the Seventh Talon only laughed and told her to allow the man to stew and he’d get over it in time. The older woman then drew her into a hug and whispered that he hadn’t slept well for days after her departure, for fear a messenger would come with news of her death. She had to resort to drugging him- which he was furious about and ended things with her for betraying his trust, which lasted a total of four days before she found him slipping between her sheets once again. Give him time, she soothed, he was scared. The idiot’s never been that scared before.

Viago glared up at her and still said nothing, only throwing something at her. Lilya quietly swore as she tried to catch it, fumbling a couple of times before it settled in her grip. The Crow flashed him a flat stare, not willing to add any heat in her gaze in case he decided to piff something else at her head when she wasn’t paying attention.

“Tell me what you see,” he instructed plainly, leaning further into his seat, the air still thick with tension as he waited for her response.

Lilya turned the bottle in her hands a couple of times and inspected the ornate crystal atomiser in her hand, the dark indigo of the bottle reflecting beautifully in the light.

“It is a bottle of perfume”, she replied, unsure of what he was expecting from her. She could already hear Viago in her head, the man never missed an opportunity to lecture her over doing anything he deemed stupid. ‘You’re too smart to be this dumb, Lilya!’ was by far her favourite backhanded compliment he gave her.

Viago waited for her to elaborate, only to be met with more dumbfounded silence. He groaned and shook his head in dismay, his eyes piercing her with such an intense stare she almost wanted to call down a fiery meteor to squash and cremate her just to escape his ire.

“Really? Is that it? Is that damned boy that good in bed for my Little Bird to completely lose her perspicacious nature?” he challenged, “Is a fuck all it takes for you to lose your head these days?”

He knew how much his needling affected her. Even before he rose to Talon, his remarks always cut the deepest and she would do whatever she could to earn back his favour. She didn’t know how he held this power over her or when it came about, but in truth she wasn’t even upset about it, because she knew that even if they argued constantly, even with their confusing, tangled mess of a relationship- Viago always had her back. Just like she had his. That level of trust was impossible to find in life, let alone within the Crows.

Lilya huffed and went back to re-examining the beautiful bottle in her hand. Taking a step closer to the nearest candle, she rotated it and found an etching in a fancy flowing script on the metal rim of the pump her eyes hadn’t picked up earlier, D A. She recognised it, embarrassment quickly colouring her cheeks from her initial oversight.

“It’s a perfume by Doña Abella.”

“And?”

“It is in her crystal atomiser, meaning whoever purchased it was someone with a lot of money.”

“Anything else?”

“It is in her signature bottle, meaning it is a personalised scent she crafted and not made by one of her master perfumers. Whoever commissioned this spent a lot of time and a lot more coin on this, whoever they were. Doña Abella rarely makes new perfumes and if she does, that particular scent only belongs to that customer alone- it is what makes her work so exclusive. Whoever this person is must be important or has very close ties to someone very important.”

Viago let his hand fall onto the desk, his annoyed expression fading into a proud smirk at her assessment. He knew that she’d know that much just by seeing it, and at the very least, the knowledge he imparted about art and beauty had not fallen on deaf ears- even if his other more pertinent teachings remained unheeded.

“Correct. It is a bespoke scent crafted by Doña Abella herself. Reportedly it took months to create, the client was very particular, never happy until they captured the scent perfectly for their intended recipient.” He watched as Lilya’s brows rose just a little, clearly impressed by the dedication of the customer.

“Is it safe to smell, to spray?” she asked, a part of her practically preening at how the Talon's gaze softened with approval at her question, waiting until he silently permitted her to do so with a simple wave of his hand. With a measured squeeze of the pump, she was greeted with a light but moreish fragrance. She knew instantly why the perfumes were in such high demand, barely half a pump of it and the entire room was redolent with the aroma of iris, pink pepper and a warm salty musk she couldn’t quite place but she knew she wanted to bathe in the scent if she could. “That is… wow. That’s amazing. Whoever this was for sure is loved for someone to go through all this trouble.”

“…Quite. And yes, a remarkable scent to be sure.”

“So, what’s the deal with it? Are you sending me to handle the customer or the person they were hoping to give it to? Oh, please don’t tell me we have to kill Doña Abella… She's a national treasure. So many dream of purchasing a bottle if they ever have enough money. One fledging I trained with in the capital said she was going to buy a bottle when she became a Crow… pity she didn’t make it out of training.”

The Fifth Talon’s smirk faded.

“No, your contract has nothing to do with this. A full dossier will be sent to your room, you’ll be expected to leave by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Then why did you ask me about the perfume?” Lilya frowned, questioning the obscure impromptu lesson in observation from her Talon… unless… oh Maker. Did he create that for… her?! Was that what his rage was about? His disappointment? Was he really trying to get back together with her? Hadn’t they gone over this? Wasn’t he madly in love with Teia anyway?

Viago’s stare hardened again like he could read her mind, his disapproval bubbling over once more.

“Because Illario gave me that. Instructed me to give it to you. Tell me, Lilya, why is the man that you previously claimed was just a dalliance to pass time, giving you such a gift if all you are is a mere tumble in the sack?”

Lilya paled.

Okay. At least he didn’t want to get back together.

“You said it yourself. The recipient of such a gift is surely loved. If it were only a matter of coin, it wouldn't cause me any concern. But the Dellamorte spent time. Effort. No man does that for someone he does not intend for more.”

She didn’t know. Couldn’t know. She had to speak to Illario. To clear the whole mess up before it got too out of hand and-

“The harmless sex in the alleyways, hotel getaways and missions you took together I could have forgiven. All Crows indulge in that. But the moment you took him here, into our - my! - House? You both crossed a line that people in our positions cannot do. Not without blood spilling for you both. What have you gotten us into, Little Bird? How am I supposed to save you from this?”

———

Softly tagging: @rookamell @hightowerqueen @himluv @thedissonantverses @gingervitus @introvertedfangrl @trash-nerd @davrinsleftpectoral @eiluned @kabsey @serstolas @cocoboots in case you wanted to play ^_^

[elishnord]

A piece of text again

It's @mothergootz who tempted me like a small sneaky demon))

*in the announcer's tone* Previously on "The perfect coffee". Weisshaupt aftermaths, everyone is yelling, crying, blaming etc. Rook de Riva (I'll call her Zea, ok?) is so pissed off by both Davrin and Lucanis she takes them in private and tells them to take their pants off to make actual measurements and get it over with. Later they drink in Davrin's quarter and talk. Kinda.

Lucanis watched Zea leave and, turning back to Davrin, noticed that he was also staring after her—at her lower back.

“Maybe we should compare?” the Warden suggested as the door closed behind her. “I don’t see the point,” Lucanis shook his head. “You think you’ll lose?” Davrin tried to provoke him. “I think it won’t affect who she chooses.” “Well, we could make a deal… the winner gets an advantage.” “Davrin. Zea is not a prize in a competition,” Lucanis reprimanded him and couldn’t resist adding, “Besides, I already have the advantage.” “Because you’re a Crow?” “Among other things. We’ve known each other for a long time. And she likes Spite.” “She likes Assan too, doesn’t she, boy? And he’s much more handsome.” “How do you know?” “Well, Emmrich said your demon is exactly like you. Besides, I’m an elf.” “So what?” “Zea is also an elf. We’re destined to stick together.” “I don’t think that’s her case. She grew up among humans, and in Antiva, nobody cares about the shape of your ears. The trouble is, all of this doesn’t matter…” “Why not?” “Because you’re a Grey Warden. What can you give her? Wardens are mostly sterile, you probably won’t have children, won’t have a home, you’ll spend several years in constant battles, and then she’ll send you to the Deep Roads and be left alone. Or she’ll kill you herself if you chicken out.” “And you…” “And I’m possessed, and I could turn into a monster she’d have to kill at any moment,” Lucanis nodded. “I could harm her without meaning to, and even if we had time, one day she’d hate me for having to worry about me constantly.” “So it turns out we’re both unsuitable for her,” Davrin sighed. “It seems that way. And in any case, she’ll be the one to choose.” “Well, who do you think would be good for her?” the Warden hiccupped. “I don’t know… I think she needs a friend and partner more than a lover.” “That’s where you’re wrong! I’m sure she’s quite fiery. All that severity and ‘I’m the leader, I don’t have time for nonsense’ is just a mask. In reality, she… I don’t know, I envy Assan blackly when she scratches him.” Lucanis sighed and poured the remaining wine. Davrin grinned and pulled a bottle of Rivaini moonshine from under the table. “But still?” he persisted. “Who?” “Emmrich?” Lucanis threw out randomly. “No, he’s too old…” Davrin waved his hands. “She’s… hic!.. a girl. How old is she? Sixteen?” “Twenty-two… three,” Lucanis mentally calculated the time and nodded to himself. “Yes, twenty-three.” “Still… hic!.. a girl. Maybe that your… Vi-a-go?” “No. He’s her brother.” “What?!" the Warden’s eyes bulged. "What in the hell is a brother? He’s human!” “Adopted. Or rather, she’s adopted. The important thing is that she treats him like a brother. And besides, Viago has Teia.” “Alright… what about that… the one who sells all sorts of junk around here?” “Fletcher? He’s afraid of her. She once broke his arm for touching her.” “And your cousin? What’s his name… Illllllllario…” “She doesn’t like him.” “I agree… hic!.. with her on that. Most disgusting face. And that curly one? The handsome one with the Orlesian accent.” “Chance Candie? He’s not interested in women.” “How picky she is!” Davrin drunkenly offended. “How are we supposed to find her a man?” “I think she’ll find him herself when she wants to,” Lucanis replied with annoyance.

[zennihilation]

Three Glasses, Part 2

Characters: Juan "Rook" de Riva; Bellara Lutare; Lucanis Dellamorte; Neve Gallus Words: 1278 Summary: (Post-Veilguard) Rook and Lucanis are summoned to Treviso for a Celebration in their Honor. Rook is crushed under the weight of their regalia, figuratively and literally. Lucanis tries to help. Neve and Bellara arrive in their finest. Rook still would rather die.

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“You sound like a windchime!” “It’s the cape! I can’t do anything with it. I hate these things.” “That’s not normal, Rook. Everyone loves the capes.” “This is the most top heavy thing I’ve ever worn. How do you move around like this?” “Posture.” Lucanis steadied Rook back on their feet, pressing in the lower back to adjust the weight balance. “Isn’t this supposed to come with lower plating?” “I swear, I’m barely standing as it is. I’m a mage. I don’t do weight.” 

Antivan Crows are trained to be first and foremost masters of stealth and shadow work. A Crow clung to the shadows, leaving only bodies in their wake or in many cases nothing at all. What Rook was forced into the next day made any hope of that impossible. His regular cuirass was changed out for a heavier deep purple breastplate, silvered dahlias carved in decoration. There were medals they were sure they never earned. Granted, they were accomplished. Rook completed contracts beyond any their rank before the Evanuris decided to ruin their life. Still, the Crows didn’t do medals. And yet, ribbons were bolted to the front. Instead of their fitted leather trousers, they were instead outfitted with looser, thicker trousers that obviously were meant for greaves. That’s where they drew the line. They could barely walk as it was, any more weight would make them crumple on the floor in as undignified a manner as possible. 

Finally, there was a cape. Rook generally avoided them though they swore it wasn’t because they used to catch fire while learning magic. The cape they chose were large black feathers all the way down. Hanging off of the shoulder guards and woven into the feathers were small chains of mirrored crows. House de Acutis even did their hair and make-up, placing small jewels around their eyes.

There was a small antechamber near the main hall where the Gala would be held. They were escorted to the room to find Lucanis. He was wearing as many layers and feathers, but apparently was spared being bejeweled. The two assassins took stock of each other.

“Don’t start with me, Lucanis,” Rook warned.

Lucanis smirked and closed the distance, giving the lightest shove on Rook’s shoulder who immediately lost their footing, causing them to cling onto the larger man’s gauntlet like a cat stuck in a tree. 

“Asshole!”

“You sound like a windchime!”

“It’s the cape! I can’t do anything with it. I hate these things.”

“That’s not normal, Rook. Everyone loves the capes.”

“This is the most top heavy thing I’ve ever worn. How do you move around like this?”

“Posture.” Lucanis steadied Rook back on their feet, pressing in the lower back to adjust the weight balance. “Isn’t this supposed to come with lower plating?”

“I swear, I’m barely standing as it is. I’m a mage. I don’t do weight.” 

“Relax, it will be over in a few hours, and then we can get out of here.”

“Relax. Right. Love having my name splattered all over Antiva and wearing the most reflective armor I’d ever seen. It’s great.”

“Are you.. Are you alright?”

“Do I look alright?!” they yelped, the anxiety genuine, sure that their heartbeat echoed within the heavy breastplate.

“No one’s going to kill you.”

“Someone always dies at these parties. I just don’t like being at the front of the line.”

“Rook. You’ve done infiltrations for Teia, yes? It’s just like that. Hide in the spotlight.”

Rook nodded quickly, forcing his breathing steady though that was harder with the armor weighing down their ribcage. “Right. Hide in the spotlight. I can do that.” 

Two things separated Crows from an average killer on the street: discipline and the ability to withstand torture. Lucanis was right, for once. This was just a job. The party wasn’t for either of them. It let Rook fall back on the learned skills as opposed to social niceties. First was to get used to the gaudy armor that they had been saddled with. Bodily discipline was easy. It was all about knowing how to work with your center of gravity. Rook started pacing circles around the room, before hopping onto the furniture and walking along the table and the backs of sofas. As for resisting torture, simply knowing they could move around if they needed to helped.  It annoyed them that it took so long to figure it out.

The door cracked open again. The disturbance was enough to distract Rook to lose their footing, sending them stumbling to the floor. Thankfully, they steadied before Lucanis had to drag them off the floor again. “Almost there.”

“Are we interrupting?” Neve asked from the doorway. Her hair was down with a netted veil draped just over one eye. She wore a floor length seafoam sheath silk slit up her right leg. A black leather corset belt cinched at her waist with red dragons coiled along its edges. A soft fur mantle draped around her shoulders. She looked at them both. “Sometimes I forget you can clean up.”

Lucanis smiled and left Rook to fend for themself, immediately taking Neve’s hand for a soft kiss. “You look amazing.” 

“I had better. Imagine what I could do with more than a few days' warning.”

“That isn’t what I’m imagining.”

“We have all night for that.”

“Is this also going to take all night or can I leave?” Rook called over the flirting couple. 

“They’ve been clawing at the walls all day,” Lucanis explained before stepping outside of the room with his companion.    

“Rook!” Bellara burst past Neve and jumped to hug the grumbling assassin.

“Bellara—” they started before catching her and pulling her into an embrace. They were smiling, the panic thrown aside for the moment. They held her at a distance for a moment to take in the look. It was a beautiful ball gown of gold and orange, mirrored triangles sewn into the satin. “This is incredible. How did you manage?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure Neve threatened the dressmaker. He looked pretty nervous when we left. But look, it’s so pretty. And it matches my gauntlet.” She grabbed a bow grip that was hanging off of her belt and it began to glow, the limbs of the bow starting to materialize. 

“Bellara, sweetheart,” Rook rattled quickly, putting their hands over her bow grip. “At an Antivan Party, it’s polite to wait for the fight to start before we pull our weapons.”

“Right, obviously,” she laughed and let go, the bow dematerializing as quickly. 

“You do look incredible. And don’t worry, there will probably be a fight before the night is over. We can see it in action then,” they winked.

Once the lights were on them, Rook’s posture shifted. They didn’t complain incessantly about the armor or how the mirrored crows made them visible near any amount of light. They didn’t shy away from the countless strangers introducing themselves trying to pry stories and validate the rumors. They just squeezed Bellara’s hand and answered as much as they could while trying to navigate the room. 

When there was finally a lull, Bellara pulled them closer, resting her head on their shoulder. “Rook?”

“Yes, Bellara?”

“Please change before we go home. You’re going to scare the Halla right out of Arlathan.”

Rook laughed and squeezed her. “Oh trust me. No one wants out of this thing more than me.”

“Well, that’s not true,” she grinned. 

Rook leaned down to kiss her. “Thank you.”

“But, be honest. Are you okay?”

They took a breath and nodded. “I’ll be fine. I just don’t like all of these eyes on me.”

“Oh, I thought you would have done something like this before.”

“I have, but I’m always just Viago’s bodyguard. My whole job was to stay out of the eye line and keep the knives off of him. No one looks at me.”

She nodded. “I see. I think you look nice.”

“That means more to me than anything,” they started to say before another group of Crows approached to introduce themselves. Their skin was starting to crawl. They cursed under their breath, forcing the agitation down, before smiling again.

[pupkinpumpkin]

Compilation of fun facts about my Rook: Carlota De Riva

- She's a purple Rook

- Just like her mother, she's a fantastic singer

- While she specializes in making and using influencers/drugs when it comes to Crow contracts, she has a side hobby of making firebombs, lighting flasks, Molotov cocktails, bees in a jar, etc, because she likes the damage it does. She gets a lot more use out of them in Veilguard when she's fighting basic enemies

- She's actually a really good mixologist but not a lot of people give her a chance because she and Viago are specifically known for tampering with food and drink to kill contracts

- Viago and Carlota are half siblings on their fathers side, which neither knew about till Carlota joined the Crows, and even then, she learned about it much later than Viago did

- She hums or sings when she's nervous or trying to focus

- Viago makes her build up her resistance to poisons with him, which she understands, but it gets really annoying having nausea every morning

- He also forces her to appreciate art with him. She reluctantly does it because she knows it makes him happy

- In turn, she makes Viago go to operas with her

- They both come around to each other's interests eventually

- She really really likes Teia, even had a crush on her at one point, but once she realized Viago actually had a chance of getting with her, she started pushing them together as much as she could, and now she thinks of Teia as an older sister.

- Habitual snacker. Oh you think that's a knife she has in her pocket? Nope, it's those old people butterscotch candies and cranberries covered in dark chocolate. Massive sweet tooth, never had anything she deemed too sweet

- She has a special love for things that are bittersweet though. Dark chocolate, black cherries, cranberries, you name it, she loves it

- Massive coffee drinker, honestly to the point where she'll just drink it black. She does care about the taste, but sometimes a black coffee hits better than anything fancy at 3 AM

- She and Viago once had a long talk about their opinions on King Fulgeno II and the throne. They both hate the old man, but while Viago wants to take the throne, all Carlota wants to see is his insides being torn out by her own hand. She doesn't care about taking the crown or controlling Antiva, she just cares about the family she's made in the Crows, but she'd support Viago if he ever did try and take it for himself. She jokes that if Viago became king, he could make Teia his queen, which makes him a blushing mess

- She's fascinated by gaatlok and really wants to figure out the secret. She even started trying to learn Qunlat in case she found any notes around it. She later asks Taash to teach her when she meets them

- Honestly, where my Inquisitor was a rogue born in a mage's body, my Rook is a mage born in a rogue's body. She's fascinated by magic and loves to learn about it

- Very physically touchy. She'll of course ask you for your permission first, but she's not afraid of holding hands with a friend, kissing their cheek, or even sitting on their lap.

The Crows really try beating it out of her, but it never goes away

- Has two jewelry boxes. One for her jewelry, and one full of her mom's old jewelry. Carlota never wears her mother's, but she brings her old earrings or necklaces on adventures sometimes

- She's a pretty good cook, but, honestly, she prefers baking, and she usually sticks to it. It's why Lucanis is still terrified at all of them eating unhealthy when he joins the group despite Carlota being a good cook. She can't stop making macaroons

- Eventually when Bellara and Lucanis decide to be the main cooks, she joins in and makes actual healthy food, but she still bakes on the side and makes the gang little treats if they're feeling down

- In the Lighthouse, she swears she can sometimes hear her mother singing or smell the hazelnut torte she would make. She even occasionally finds her mother's old jewelry that she thought she lost

- Since Spite is set on having smells for everyone, I think Carlota would be dark chocolate and cherries, to reflect her personality and food preferences. She's very sweet and caring, but the girl is still a professional assassin. She's ruthless when she wants to be.

- She once told Viago that her mother would call her "little songbird" sometimes. Viago starts calling her this ONLY when he thinks she can't hear or that she won't remember, so usually when he thinks she's asleep or insanely drunk. She's managed to hear it once or twice, and it makes her smile every time

- Her favorite kill was a really obnoxious noble who beat his wife and mistresses. That wasn't the reason he had a contract on him, but still. Looked like Fulgeno. She dressed as a servant, took one of Viago's poisons, put it in his soup, then watched from afar as he started frothing and choking at the mouth as his wife did nothing to help him. The wife was shocked and confused at first, but just watched in awe as the man suffocated and even kicked him to make sure he was dead. Carlota still smiles remembering him try to scream

- Despite not having a father figure, Carlota really loves dad jokes. Her sarcasm definitely came from her mom, but she developed that kind of humor on her own. Viago groans at them, but her jokes have inspired some of his poison names on occasion

- After the 'Eight Little Talons' story, when Viago comes back, Carlota is more shocked that Viago actually got with Teia than 4 of the 8 Talons being murdered

- She becomes an official Crow at 26

- Relationships with the Veilguard gang:

Harding: Really good friend. She enjoys Harding's company and has some of her own plants in Harding's garden.

Neve: She's like a sister. They have similar attitudes, humor, (taste in men), so they get along really well. After Carlota chooses to save Treviso though, Neve puts some distance between them, which hurts, but she understands.

Bellara: Also like a sister. She loves hearing Bellara ramble and tries to pick up on some of the magic talk, though she often gets lost. She acts as Bellara's rubber duck when she's stuck on a problem. Bellara's also the one she's the most physically touchy with. Honestly, Carlota, Neve, and Bellara were very very tight before having to pick one of the two cities. They do get closer again after the Fire and Ice quest though

Lucanis: Friend turned partner. I think she had a thing for Lucanis when he started grocery shopping for the team. She just thought it was really sweet and wanted to get closer to him ever since. She flirts and teases, but she truly does enjoy his company and finds that she can learn a lot from him in cooking and murder

Davrin: Platonic co-parent. She loves Assan so much, that she ends up spending a lot of time with Davrin and they really grow close. He whittles while Carlota reads and Assan sleeps between the two. They spar, share stories, and love to take Assan on walks together.

(sidenote: She absolutely knew what the gingerwort tea would do to her, she just wanted to trip in a beautiful forest for awhile)

Emmrich: Ngl, she found that skull mask hot. He's too old for her though, so she keeps her appreciations to herself. Like Bellara, she loves listening to Emmrich talk, she adores Manfred to the moon and back, and she's very curious about Nevarran magic. Sure she finds the undead corpses a bit weird at the beginning, but she begins to appreciate the Necropolis and she loves the flora. Lots of great flowers to harvest poisons from

(she absolutely had a moment where she drunkenly said: "Does anyone else think Emmrich is super hot?" Only to be met with complete silence. Emmrich wasn't there though, so that made the whole thing a bit less awkward)

Taash: Taash is chill. Not exactly a sibling, not just a good friend. Like... A close cousin. She really likes them, is very supportive of their journey, and gets very giddy when she realizes Taash and Harding like each other. She's not entirely into dragons, but she knows Taash likes them, so she'll occasionally ask to explain the differences, how they hunt, hardest to fight, etc. As mentioned before, Carlota also asks for lessons in Qunlat, which Taash isn't a master of, but they help nonetheless

(On one occasion, Carlota asked if she could have some of Taash's spit to see if it was flammable or if she could make any bombs from it. I genuinely have no idea if they would agree or not)

- Has the handwriting of a doctor that can only be read by Neve and, once they get closer, Lucanis

- Carlota tries to teach Spite and Manfred to cook, deciding to start them off at peanut butter jelly sandwiches and go from there

- It still takes awhile for anything to turn out edible

- Makes the Dragon Age magic griffon equivalent of a puppachino for Assan

- Loves horror books, thrillers, and, on occasion, romance novels. Loves angst, 50/50 on happy endings

- Knows how to steer a gondola and finds the whole thing very peaceful

- Has had 3 (technically 4) relationships before Lucanis. One with a boy when she was 13-16. He was the son of two apothecaries, so she visited them often to get medicine for her mother. He was an apostate and ended up getting caught and taken to the circle.

One was when she was 20 with another fledgling while she was training. Lasted about 5 months. She ended up dying on a mission.

One was a baker when she was 23-25. He didn't know Carlota was a Crow, but after she started getting in some hot water with someone who wanted revenge for a contract she did, she decided to end it so he wouldn't get hurt. She occasionally checks up on him from afar

The last was just an on and off relationship with a Crow that she refuses to get into with the others because it was a bad time in her life. She tries to avoid Antiva City.

- Can't go to sleep without being in contact with some part of her partner's body. Doesn't matter if it's a shoulder, toe, finger, etc. She just needs to know they're safe

Ok, that's probably it for now

[zennihilation]

Juan 'Rook' De Riva: Lore Dump

About Juan:

Elven Mage and Antivan Crow

Former Tevinter Slave

Picked their name because it was statistically going to be the most common

Flower: Yucca, Flower for Protection

Is absolutely up to here with Bird Puns

Good at: Dance; Antivan Contract Law; Strategic Operations; Reconnaissance

Bad at: Magic (principles); History; Generally being in Nature; Infiltration

Romance: Bellara Lutare; Token: A chain of five silverite crows in flight

Preferred Gifts: Orlesian Linen; Scented Bath Oils; Drylands Mezcal; Antivan Brandy; Dwarven Whiskey More found at: #datv mongoose

6 Characters that Inspired Your OC | Yet Another Characterization Sheet

In Game Voice: Alex Jordan, Medium Pitch Fan Cast Voice: Giancarlo Sabrogal (sample below)

1: Where in the Thedas is your Rook from? Ventus, Tevinter

2: What is your character's alignment? Chaotic Neutral

3: Race and subclass? Elven Mage, Spellblade Specialization

4: If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found? Drylands, Antiva; Rialto, Antiva

5: What emotion did they usually pick? Sarcastic / Anger

6: What companion are you platonically close with? Neve. They think she’s brilliant and admires her commitment to the poorer populations of Minrathous.

7: Romantically close with? Bellara. They’re head over heels for her.

8: Who are they suspicious of? Lucanis. He’s a Mage Killer and a Crow of reputation and pedigree. They get along well and fight together even better, but they always have a knife ready in case things turn.

9: Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction? Yes / It’s Complicated. They get along well with their faction leaders with the full understanding that the Crows are an organization of murderers where success is defined by the blood of your competition. In that way, they fit in very, very well.

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments? Nope. But they can dance, which they think is close enough

11: Weapon of choice? Spellblade

12: What is their orientation? Non-binary (AMAB) / Pansexual

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it? Enjoy it too much. 

14: What hobbies does your Rook have? Ballroom Dance

15: What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike? Their favorite NPC is Teia with a close second being Evka and Antoine who seem to be the hardest working Wardens in the Order. Also Elek, they get him. Their least favorite NPC is Dorian due to a long held mistrust of the High Magister Houses of Qaranis. 

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas? Not an animal person, but especially hates birds and snakes because they’re everywhere.

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer? No, there’s too much outside.

18: What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric? Running intelligence for the war effort.

19: How do you think they'll meet their end? Fighting Templars.

20: Would they side with Solas or fight him? Open hatred for Solas’ entire deal.

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability? Void knife. You get to rip open a hole in the sky with lightning!

22: What languages is your character fluent in? Trade, only. 

23: What do they do after an absolute crisis? Drink alone in the Lighthouse.

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife? Sort of. They’ve seen the fade and what happens to spirits. Beyond that, they don’t tend to think about it.

25: What specialization best represents your Rook? Spellblade

26: What animal best represents your Rook? Mongoose

27: What was their life like before the events of Veilguard? Largely chaotic. They spent their years in the Occupation doing intelligence, reconnaissance, and fighting back Antaam instead of traditional contracts.

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader? Yes. No one can stop them from doing anything.

29: If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why? They would sign on with the Shadow Dragons, being originally from Tevinter with an unending score to settle with Tevinter Slavers and Magisters. While they trust Neve, they doubts the efficacy of the Shadow Dragon Leadership which seems to be made up of Human Noble Magisters who discovered slavery was bad yesterday.

30: What's your favorite thing about your Rook? They walk a very thin line between being wildly disruptive and an internal need to follow orders which I find a lot of fun.

EXTRA:

What does everyone's mages casting style look like?? Juan's only ever used magic in for offensive combat so they tightly associate it with their first weapons, a dagger and a rope dart. It's also why they have such a mental block when it comes to rudimentary magic like the weakest healing spell or ward.

When they visualize it, it throws as a ribbon or a chain, depending on what they expect they need. At the end is usually a blade, but it turns into a bird if they need to have directional control after the initial cast.

Probably because they feel most secure or apt with those? Juan views magic as utilitarian as opposed to exploring the Magesty and Power of the Fade. By associating it with things they know and can control, they're less likely to tap into powers they don't understand (and won't be possessed by demons).

Rook Personality Template by @otherpigeon OC Template by pumpkincrepe Lore Sheet by @roadkillxd Pretty Boy Picrew Rook Questionnaire

** So like. I deleted my old tumblr so this is yet another re-upload but also consolidated with a couple of posts. One stop shop bab-ee.