#like. bro your cousins son has an old god soul in him. her wife carries a fragment of mythal.

[crows-of-buckets]

Great news, figured out a way for Ena to learn about Aviae!!!

Anyways, his older sibling is Revari (other rook, but in my canon worldstate they never become Rook. Ena just fit as the main character more which sucks bc I love Revari... Sigh anyways)

Revari has the same origin that they did as Rook: free some slaves, piss off some magisters. However, Varric isn't there to take them away to keep them from getting in trouble, so the Shadow Dragons decide to move them down to Dock Town. They basically get assigned Tarquin as a babysitter (that does not go well those two have a. Dynamic. Definitely one of the dynamics ever I've talked about it on here before, but when Revari isn't Rook those two figure out their shit SOOO much sooner. Actually have time to talk about their relationship and come to the realization that they are definitely just friends). Anyways during this time, they end up meeting Neve and the two become friends pretty quickly. Revari is a bit more hands on with the way they go about shadow dragoning (I've considered them working with Fenris in the past, which I kind of want to explore more eventually but know in my heart they've done at least one job together.) And by that I mean they have never thought twice about anything they have ever done. Both Revari and Ena have the worst impulse control known to man it's crazy.

Anyways, while Neve and Revari are friendly before the game, they don't actually become close friends until Minrathous falls and Neve stays in the city to help them recover. Revari has had to rein in their "quick thinking" (by that I mean charging head first into any and every fight) and has to stay more on the shadowy side of things. They're only alive because Tarquin had the good sense to talk them out of immediately picking a fight with all the venatori they saw (they aren't a complete idiot most of the time, but it seems my Surana family tree is extremely prone to getting very pissed off very quickly)

During this time Revari and Neve become very close, and by the time Neve returns to the Veilguard it's solidly crossed into mutual crushing. But they both have much bigger things to worry about, so nothing really comes of it until the blights are over.

Post Veilguard, they eventually start dating; I think their romance is still pretty close to how neverook goes in game, and both of them are fucking TERRIFIED of fucking it up. Neve still calls them "Trouble", all of that. Anyways it's probably a few months before Neve brings up like "hey maybe I should introduce you to the veilguard. You'd probably get along well you're definitely their brand of crazy"

Revari agrees, and NOW I'm getting back to the point I was initially planning for this post 💀. This is where Revari and Ena meet, and while they don't have instant recognition, it goes something like this.

Revari: So you're Rook. Is that your real name or...?

Ena: Nickname, my actual name is Ena. And yours?

Revari: Revari. Huh that's so weird I had a younger sister named Ena.

Ena: that's also weird bc I had an older sister named Revari.

Revari: ...

Ena:...

Revari: Are you from-

Ena: Denerim? Yeah. Oh my fucking god

The two of them get along pretty well (eventually I think they DO fight about the whole Minrathous/Treviso thing but tbh I think the joy of reuniting with the younger sibling you thought was dead makes Revari willing to ignore it. For now) Long story short Ena learns that he is in fact the cousin of The Hero of Fereldan (he had a suspicion bc he does remember his last name being Surana before he joined the crows, but he kinda convinced himself that he had made it up as a way of coping when he was a child or something)

Aviae and Ena do eventually meet, but Ena procrastinates it for months he is TERRIFIED of that woman. She has successfully survived TWO different crow contracts on her life, AND SHES CLOSE FRIENDS WITH ZEVRAN ARIANAI. He's slightly convinced that this is some elaborate plot to take him and Lucanis out or something. Aviae finds this hilarious when she learns about it

I think I've decided that I want Ena to be one of the elves taken during the "plague" in denerim during the first blight. Assuming DAV takes place in 9:49, he would have been 8 or 9 I think I need to check my timeline. He's my Surana's cousin, and the younger brother of one of my other Rook's (Revari isn't rook in my canon worldstate, but they are still a Mercar. They left for Tevinter at around 13 when their magic developed). Anyways him being my Surana's cousin is probably something he himself never actually learns (sadly). He doesn't even really talk about being from Fereldan at all, and I can't really say for certain that he would even remember his last name before he became a crow. Plus, he transitioned (kept his name tho) and so did his only sibling, so the likelihood of them recognizing each other is so painfully low.

Anyways, one of the Tevinter mages in the alienage claimed Ena had the plague, he gets shipped off. I haven't decided whether he was bought by the crows or scouted after somehow escaping (this one is becoming far less likely the more I think on it); either way, he ends up in the crows by the time he's 9. He gets his face scar like right before joining, so the first few months are even worse.

His magic developed not long after, and tbh this is the only reason I think he even survived. He was never really good at fighting in regular combat, but he was pretty good at getting the fuck out of the way when someone was trying to kill him. I think the Crows take better care of their mages (I can't remember if this is canon or a head canon but whatever) because they're a better investment. (Even when they become abominations, as crows are known to do occasionally, I do think generally they receive "kinder" treatment)

He meets Viago somewhere around age 10 (they have around a 8-10 year age gap, so Viago would be 18-20. At least going off of Viago being 34 to 36 in Veilguard. Everyday I pray that bioware will release and actual timeline bc god I am tired of figuring this shit out 😭), and immediately decides that he is going to be loyal to this guy in particular. I don't know why he decides this, but he's like 10 so it was probably some stupid reasoning.

At first Viago is annoyed, but I think after a certain point his brain kicked in and he went "wait having another crow (even one so young) who is insanely loyal to me is an AMAZING investment on my end". Teia isn't around to be his moral compass, so at this time in his life at least 9/10 of his decisions are made to further his own goals. This is around when he starts actually taking an interest in Ena, and keeping him around as an investment. He starts teaching him poisons, and building up Ena's poison resistance. Ena is notoriously loyal as hell and twice as stubborn so Viago 100% plans on using that to his advantage. I think Ena's magic developed not too long after this so he immediately becomes more useful lmao

Depending on when Viago became Talon, I do think it may be possible that Ena was one of the first to become a full crow under his leadership. If Viago is ~30 in Eight Little Talons, he had to have been a Talon for a few years, so he was probably made one in his late 20s I think? Teia is mentioned being one of the younger talons, and she's ~28 in eight little talons I think, and I'm pretty sure she's been a Talon for a few years at this point. Anyways, assuming Viago became a talon between 26-28, Ena could have been one of the first full crows under his command, being made a crow between 16-18. However, timelines like this make my head hurt so this may be completely inaccurate lmao

Somewhere between Viago realizing Ena is a good investment and Ena becoming a full crow, Viago becomes annoyingly fond of his little protege. He ends up bailing him out of trouble FAR more often than he would like. Ena is painfully good at becoming the annoying younger brother figure in anyone's life, and Viago is NOT exempt from that.

[teacherintransition]

Sometimes, the phone call is to be dreaded...

Last week, I wrote a piece on a “dreaded call” to my wife and myself being a piece of cake on the drama meter. Irony made an appearance this Sunday

“The problem is you think you have time.”

Buddha

I was very pleased with my article written last week which dealt with chasing dreams and sometimes conflicting with family obligations. The piece felt like it was balanced and didn’t advocate one choice over another; putting the reader in a comfortable frame of mind to allow ample time to consider all possibilities. The author felt that sufficient time would be there to consider all options. ... then Sunday morning came and the literary allusion of a phone call I used to encourage readers to weigh choices carefully took on a more tragic literal impact. My brother called me at 9:15 Sunday in a state of emotional despair that I have never associated with him. Through sobs of deep anguish, I learned his son, my nephew, my son’s cousin, the father of his grandkids had been tragically, stolen from them and the device used to tell of the tragedy had been the phone. My title of last weeks blog was, “The Phone Call no Parent wants to Receive....Spoiler Alert: Everything was ok.” This time, in that moment ... irony spread like a shadow ... this time it was not ok.

My nephew, Matthew Paul Rich, was a 24 year old electrician married to a lovely woman with two angelic children. He was his brother’s best friend, his father’s pride and joy and his uncle’s ego builder because he laughed at ever joke I made. His children were so aware of his presence as they could feel the love and devotion he exuded toward them from every ounce of his being... how could children not be drawn like a magnet to such a charismatic man whose heart beat was his children. He was his younger sister’s “big bro” as she, like her uncle, thinks and acts like an artist and Matt got her. Matthew got everyone because he’d rather have friends than a heartache... why not, more to enjoy. He was about joy. Matthew is gone now and the joy has been absent many days. He left us early Sunday morning while all those who loved him slept peacefully...confident that he would be there in the morning, we would have all the time in the world to share with him ... until we didn’t.

An opportunity would be lost if the focus of this piece was just about tragic circumstances and details and the river of tears, though it’s been five days later, still unrelentingly flows. This story is all of those things on a scale beyond imagining. “Life will go on,’ “people will adapt,’ “remember when” will be an all to often a conversation starter; but the loss of Matthew raises us to a much higher plane of thought and realization. The plane is not uncommon, for sadly such tragedies happen daily thousands of times, but it offers an exchange to make us better by losing such a person. It’s a forced introspection... a forced lesson, a dreadful exchange, one that we are reluctant to take at such a high price. I often refer to this concept in my writings, but beware, fate will bring to our doorsteps events that will give the lesson an immediacy that we ignore to our peril. What is this lesson that carries such grave importance? It is this: everything, every love, every object, every person ... will pass. There is nothing that will last, you will lose everyone you love either by their passing or yours. The power, the magic, the love, the bond exists only now. Now...

We all know this intellectually, but it’s too unpleasant to contemplate; so we put consideration of this truth for later.... and we grasp not a life line but a thread of hope, based on cliche : “I got time, life is long, life is short, l have plenty of time” .... all perilous mindsets that will rob our emotional treasure like a thief in the night. During this week, for whatever reason, I was reading bits from “The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying,” to try to enlighten my oft times dense self. I came across a quote from Siddhārtha Gautama, the enlightened one, the Buddha. The Buddha said while trying to grasp the causes of man’s suffering simply said, “the problem is we think we have time.” It’s such a simple but thorough, all encompassing statement on why we suffer so often. We have no time....we have now... only this instant and it too is fleeting. The great teacher also wisely tells us (I paraphrase): focusing on the past brings regret focusing on the future brings worry, focusing on the now brings contentment. Remember, this is a lesson born of tragedy... the tragedy happened, Matthew is gone, there is only learning from it now. Matthew wants us to learn to love his loved ones and each other with an intensity of heart that he possessed . You must be thinking, “hey man, you said that Matthew was gone, how can he want us to do anything?” You can step up to the buffet line and select the theology of your choice that speaks of an eternal energy, or soul or spirit where our loved one exists. Matt exists as certainly as the breeze blows and birds sing, and if he sees we learn from this, he will smile with his toothy grin and say at a slightly elevated decibel level, “hell yeah bro!” I will reluctantly accept the exchange and make sure that the passion and energy that Matthew gave to all of us will be present in my every now....but I wouldn’t mind just one more time letting him give me a thumbs up followed by his, “my man ... my uncle Brent!”

"If you read this line, remember not

The hand that writ it, for I love you so

That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,

If thinking on me then should make you woe."*

*William Shakespeare: “Sonnet 71;” Collected Works of Shakespeare

For you dearest Rachel:

I know I have but few claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me, perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, nor that, when my last breath escapes me on the battle-field, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears, every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot, I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth, and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the garish day, and the darkest night amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours always, always, and, if the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air cools your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dear; think I am gone, and wait for me, for we shall meet again.

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father's love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care, and your development of their characters. Tell my two mothers, I call God's blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children.

- Sullivan**

**"My Very Dear Wife;” - The Last Letter of Major Sullivan Ballou;

Manassas Battlefield State Park; U.S. National Park Service