#oc: sabriel ingellvar

[seaglassmelody]

10, 14, 16 for the Rook asks please!!!

Thanks so much for the ask!! It's been...a very long time since I've done any fanfic so here goes!

All are for my main Rook, Mourn Watch elf Sabriel "Sabi" Ingellvar (she/they, demiromantic asexual)!

Prompts from the Rook Story Time Asks

I actually did all 3 so this got pretty long. All under the cut:

10. Rook attending a funeral-

Sabriel released a shuddering sigh as she anxiously adjusted the burial shroud on the corpse before her.

Fine embroidery, elegant weave…this was a family of some means, I suppose.

Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if her parents had the dignity of even a rough-spun shroud.

She shook her head quickly to shake the thought out. “Can’t get distracted now.”

This was far from her first time preparing a body for the Necropolis, but it would be her first time performing the burial rite on her own.

She mouthed the words to herself silently as she finished preparations. Everything was perfect. Everything had to be perfect. The man on the table left behind a beloved family and a mourning community. They deserved her best work.

For how can one truly grieve without a proper chance to say goodbye?

With one last deep breath, she patted the hand of the corpse in front of her.

“Well ser, shall we go say our farewells?”

-----

14. Rook attending a celebration-

“Hey Lucanis, finally decided to stop lurking in the pantry for once?” Davrin’s question was goading as he climbed up the stairs from the Vi’Revas chamber.

“Rook kicked him out of the kitchen.” Taash’s reply came before Lucanis could respond, and he gave them an exasperated look.

“Rook has kicked us all out of the kitchen for the foreseeable future.” He retorted, before turning back to Davrin, “So don’t even try going in there.”

“She said it was for a surprise!” Harding chimed in from the couch, looking up from the book she was reading - The Count of Bloodhill Manor. Emmrich had scoffed at it when he found it on the shelf, but still kept a hold of it for Harding anyway.

Davrin’s face turned skeptical. “Should I be worried about that?”

Neve’s laugh came from the stairs behind Davrin as she entered the room behind him. “Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“Rook’s not that bad of a cook!” Bellara spoke up, her legs crossed in front of her in Rook’s usual chair. “She’s pretty good when she actually makes something instead of…eating the ingredients individually…”

“I did see Rook and Taash bringing in quite a haul from the market yesterday,” Emmrich supplied from the upper balcony, having just exited his room to investigate the hubbub.

Taash nodded. “Dunno what she needed all those potatoes for, but it sure was a lot of em.”

“So how long has she been in there?” Neve asked, coming around to take a seat on the couch next to Harding.

“3 hours and 23 minutes.” Came Lucanis’s prompt reply, spurring a laugh from Neve.

Davrin sighed deeply. “Guess there’s nothing we can do but wait then. C’mon Assan, let’s go preen your feathers.”

The young griffon trilled in joyful assent before bounding off towards the door.

~~~

It was another several hours later before everyone was summoned to the kitchen by a few wisps that had been coaxed into Sabriel’s service by offering them a few curious notes from her personal desk (and potentially one of Neve’s. Not that Neve needed to know).

The group entered to a table sprawling with a variety of foods - fresh cut fruits, some sort of stuffed mushroom dish, a few pots of what appeared to be sauces, cups filled with drinks and in the center of it all- 3 large pies lovingly decorated with dragon motifs.

“You made all of this yourself?!” Harding exclaimed as Sabriel wiped her hands on her apron.

(She played it off as getting off some stray flour but really her palms were sweating. Were they going to like it? Was she going to give everyone food poisoning? Only time would tell.)

Setting aside her anxieties, Sabriel smiled broadly at her team. “I found my old recipe notes from when some of the other elves in the Watch gave me some cooking tips.” She pointed at each pie in succession. “This one’s a fish-based one, this one is root vegetables with herbs, and this one at the end is an extra spicy curried vegetables.” She smiled at Taash. “Hopefully it’ll be to your taste.”

Taash’s responding toothy grin helped settle her nerves enough to explain herself.

“I just figured…we’ve killed an archdemon. We took down two dragons. And we’ve even drawn blood from Ghilan’nain. I wanted to do something to thank you guys for all your hard work and…celebrate how far we’ve made it.” Her courage faltered a bit at their stares and her smile turned a bit nervous. “So umm…bon appetit?”

The silence that threatened was immediately broken by Assan noisily crowing and bounding the table, followed quickly by Manfred, who picked up a stuffed mushroom and began poking at the cheese mixture in the middle.

As both skeleton and griffon received a sound scolding for lack of manners from their respective fathers, the group laughed and took their seats, happy chatter echoing through the kitchen as everyone discovered that Bellara was right.

Turns out Rook is a pretty good cook when she tries.

-----

16. Rook falling in love for the first time-

Love was never an easy thing for Sabriel to understand.

Attachment? This she knew. She had her friends in the wisps and spirits, in her fellow Watchers and the friendlier undead.

Obligation? Certainly, she had her duties to the Watch, to the living, to the memory of the dead.

Affection? More difficult, but still known. She watched her agemates form bonds, experiment with public displays, experienced friendly nudges and hair ruffling.

It was the sum total of these parts that eluded her.

What was it that drove others to write entire operas about the passion of romance? What spurred heartbroken poetry and the lovers’ suicides that she had heard rumor of in the Necropolis? How overwhelming was this experience of seeing and being seen?

Was it joy? She had seen it described as a feeling of floating, of wanting to burst into song.

Was it pain? She had heard tales of excruciating attachment, so strong it hurt more than helped.

It was a question she had resigned herself to never fully receiving an answer, no matter how hard she tried.

It felt like a wall she could never break through— A glass barrier where she could watch everyone on the other side experience transcendence. She was never bitter, but a bit confused, and very resigned to her fate as a companion of only spirits and the dead.

And yet, when she sat at the Lighthouse’s table, cup of cioccolata calda made especially for her in her hands, watching Lucanis’s face light up with silent laughter at something Harding said-

The glass began to crack.

[seaglassmelody]

If we all band together with how much we love Dragon Age we can keep our spirits up!

Here’s my big map of my main canon world state!!

Oani Mahariel is a rogue Dalish warden, Zevran romance. Quiet and a bit cowardly but tries her best to protect Ferelden from the Blight.

Karina Hawke is an Assassin rogue blue Hawke, Fenris romance. Ultimate Big Sister, just wants to take care of her friends and play Wicked Grace.

Nirielle Lavellan is a Knight Enchanter Inquisitor, no romance. She’s young and winds up collecting more of a bunch of found family members than anything else. Bright and curious, she uses her position as Inquisitor to learn everything she can about the world.

And then Sabriel Ingellvar is a mage Rook, Lucanis romance. She’s kind and compassionate, places her friends’ needs before hers and would REALLY like Solas to stop being so condescending thank you very much!

In light of the current Dragon Age news, can everyone show me their Warden, Inquisitor, Hawke and/or Rook to 1. lift my spirits and 2. so I can draw more ocs? I might not get to everyone but I will give it a good try!

[seaglassmelody]

1. 13. 16. For the Rook + partner asks please!!! Thank you!! (Dissonant Verses here)

Hi thank you so much for the ask!! It's my first time sharing a lot of OC stuff on here haha //////

Answers featuring Sabriel Ingellvar, my mage Mourn Watcher who romanced Lucanis!

1. Does your Rook fall for their partner at first sight? If not, what moment made your Rook realize they're in love with them? 

For Sabriel it was a little less love at first sight and more of a feeling of “ohh boy this guy really needs someone in his corner after all of that” when it came to Lucanis. She’s very quick to jump in headfirst when it comes to taking care of her friends, and a sign of her love and trust is that she allows people to reciprocate (either by asking for help or just accepting support without much resistance). It is the romance confirmation scene of him making dessert that made her realize she was in love with him- it was the moment where things clicked for her that he was doing just as much to support her in her struggles in keeping everyone together against the gods. While he said it wasn’t enough, for her it was a powerful emotional reaction of “Oh. Someone is paying attention to me too.”

13. What song(s) do you associate with them?

Top of mind is Hardest of Hearts by Florence and the Machine! The lyrics “There is love in your body but you can’t get it out- it gets stuck in your head, won’t come out of your mouth” I think really fits the sort of avoidance that they have around truer deeper feelings until faced with crisis. Lay It All On Me from Carole and Tuesday is also in their rotation, just the general feeling of “I’ll take care of things for you, rely on me” is very much their vibe.

16. How did your Rook react to getting trapped in the Fade and separated from their partner? 

Seeing the illusion of Lucanis’s body as she was dragged into the regret prison really set her up for failure at the start. She has to spend more time than she’d like to admit really getting herself together once she realizes where she is. All she can do is run through everything that went wrong, how her whole original team pretty much is gone - Harding is dead, Neve is gone, Lucanis could be dead. One of the regrets that weighs her down is that she let him cut her off when she tried to tell him she loved him before the fight. Eventually, she realizes that she can’t wallow - if she’s grieving the chance that they’re dead, chances are they’re doing the same for her, and she swore she wouldn’t leave Lucanis to face things alone after pulling him out of the Ossuary in his mind.

[seaglassmelody]

Little Sabriel (my beloved Rook) doodle dump

Mourn Watch Death Caller, her besties are the original girl squad. Cheeriest necromancer you’ll ever meet!

[seaglassmelody]

The problem with using church grim imagery for your Rook is risking it look like Dread Wolf stuff

[seaglassmelody]

It's tough to capture the idea in Cole's sort of sideways-speak but I made an attempt!

Sabriel Ingellvar - The sand in the hourglass flows, top empty as the bottom fills. Wisps as witness, weary but warm, wandering, wondering - who helps the helper?

Luz de Riva - The mirror lies, but the true name flows from his lips like a song. Every breath a battle, every sunrise a victory. He was not her. He will never be her again.

what would cole's comment about your rook be?

[seaglassmelody]

2 and 7!

Thank you for giving me even more time to yammer at you about my favorite necromancer girlie haha

2. When does the partner realize that they're in love with Rook?

I think Lucanis has a curiosity and attachment to Sabriel pretty early on, given her propensity for being gentle with him and frequently checking on his well-being, but the actual realization happens in the midst of one of the clashes with the Antaam in Treviso. Seeing her fighting so hard for a city and a people that aren’t hers, wielding magic with such obvious talent and proficiency, and then immediately change from that adept focus to checking on her friends and helping patch everyone up with a smile and an encouraging word once the battle is done? Everything suddenly snaps into place and he’s a little overwhelmed with it.

7. Are they a physically affectionate couple? Are they fine displaying those affections in public or do they prefer to be in private? If they're not, how do they prefer to show their love instead?

They’re definitely affectionate but really only in private. Lucanis has an image to maintain, after all! Or at least, that’s Sabriel’s excuse. The truth is they’re both shy and still figuring things out for the most part, so they limit themselves to physical affection when alone (this doesn’t stop Sabriel from her usual friendly physical affection of nudging shoulders and patting backs though. If she does it to Lucanis a little more often than the others well…) That doesn’t make them any less annoying to deal with as they share a lot of Looks that make the others shake their heads with rueful smiles. Much of the time, their love is shown in supportive words and assisting with each other’s tasks without being asked. They’re good at fitting into each other’s routines, and the ease of working together reinforces their relationship every time. They also spend a lot of time just chatting or reading together. They enjoy catching each other up on the wild things that have happened in their lives up to this point.

[seaglassmelody]

5, 17 for Rook and LI?

Thank you so much for the ask!!

5. Do they have different cultural backgrounds (e.g. a Rook who was raised in Antiva with Harding who was raised in Ferelden)? If so, do they ever share parts of their culture with each other? If they're similar, how do they celebrate their culture together?

Sabriel’s cultural background is a mix of Nevarran and Elven, with an emphasis on the cultural norms of the Necropolis. As a foundling, she was raised by a group, which included other Watcher elves who introduced her to Elven culture and traditions, though obviously not in as much detail as the Dalish. She enjoys introducing Nevarran traditions to people, even if they may find them a bit off-putting or grotesque. She knows Lucanis isn’t a fan of necromancy, so she’ll never push too hard on that front. Instead she focuses on the celebration of life that many of the burial traditions are, and how they allow the living to remember loved ones fondly. She’d also tell him what she knows of Elven stories and traditions, though some of those have obviously lost their luster after the whole Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan Want To Kill Us All thing. Lucanis, meanwhile, introduces her to the breadth and variety of Antivan food culture, as well as how Crow socializing and politics work. They both consider it important to be able to navigate each other’s factions with some skill. Sabriel would also insist that Lucanis teach her all the Antivan ways to be respectful and polite to try to impress Caterina, given how important a figure his grandmother is in his life.

17. What is your Rook's favorite thing about their partner? What is the partner's favorite thing about Rook? 

Sabriel really appreciates that Lucanis never does anything in half-measures. He’s intense, focused and dedicated, which always makes her feel safe and able to rely on him for anything. However, she also appreciates that he has a sense of humor about things so she never feels like he has impossible standards to live up to. As for Lucanis, he appreciates Sabriel’s cheerful and understanding nature. She never lets mistakes feel catastrophic, always provides helpful perspective on problems, and keeps her friends afloat with her optimism. For a man who is prone to getting stuck in his own head, being able to float his most negative thoughts and have them received with kindness and understanding means a lot.

[seaglassmelody]

Here’s some sloppy screenshots of some of my current WIPs! I’m being lazy about rendering right now but I’m playing around with the church grim imagery I have for my necromancer Rook! And a little personality too.

Can you tell I like the orb and dagger? :)

Hahaha so bit off more than I can chew this week so instead of a proper writing challenge Wednesday just keep sending me your wips or head canons or gifs or art!!! Whatever you want!! I may run a couple of old challenges later!!

Idunno just show me what you’re working on or tell me what’s on your mind!!!!!

[seaglassmelody]

Sabriel Ingellvar carries only the essentials- a journal for notes and sketches, a pile of snacks, and knucklebone from one of her teachers from the Watch who died when she was relatively young. She had favorite mentors, especially given her lack of family, and one in particular was very important to her.

besides what we already see in the game, what does your rook carry in their pack? any sentimental items? do they carry anything from there on their person?

[thedissonantverses]

Oh my god I’m so happy you did this!!!!!! I really enjoyed each of these but that last like fucking hit hard!!! Thank you so much!

10, 14, 16 for the Rook asks please!!!

Thanks so much for the ask!! It's been...a very long time since I've done any fanfic so here goes!

All are for my main Rook, Mourn Watch elf Sabriel "Sabi" Ingellvar (she/they, demiromantic asexual)!

Prompts from the Rook Story Time Asks

I actually did all 3 so this got pretty long. All under the cut:

10. Rook attending a funeral-

Sabriel released a shuddering sigh as she anxiously adjusted the burial shroud on the corpse before her.

Fine embroidery, elegant weave…this was a family of some means, I suppose.

Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if her parents had the dignity of even a rough-spun shroud.

She shook her head quickly to shake the thought out. “Can’t get distracted now.”

This was far from her first time preparing a body for the Necropolis, but it would be her first time performing the burial rite on her own.

She mouthed the words to herself silently as she finished preparations. Everything was perfect. Everything had to be perfect. The man on the table left behind a beloved family and a mourning community. They deserved her best work.

For how can one truly grieve without a proper chance to say goodbye?

With one last deep breath, she patted the hand of the corpse in front of her.

“Well ser, shall we go say our farewells?”

-----

14. Rook attending a celebration-

“Hey Lucanis, finally decided to stop lurking in the pantry for once?” Davrin’s question was goading as he climbed up the stairs from the Vi’Revas chamber.

“Rook kicked him out of the kitchen.” Taash’s reply came before Lucanis could respond, and he gave them an exasperated look.

“Rook has kicked us all out of the kitchen for the foreseeable future.” He retorted, before turning back to Davrin, “So don’t even try going in there.”

“She said it was for a surprise!” Harding chimed in from the couch, looking up from the book she was reading - The Count of Bloodhill Manor. Emmrich had scoffed at it when he found it on the shelf, but still kept a hold of it for Harding anyway.

Davrin’s face turned skeptical. “Should I be worried about that?”

Neve’s laugh came from the stairs behind Davrin as she entered the room behind him. “Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“Rook’s not that bad of a cook!” Bellara spoke up, her legs crossed in front of her in Rook’s usual chair. “She’s pretty good when she actually makes something instead of…eating the ingredients individually…”

“I did see Rook and Taash bringing in quite a haul from the market yesterday,” Emmrich supplied from the upper balcony, having just exited his room to investigate the hubbub.

Taash nodded. “Dunno what she needed all those potatoes for, but it sure was a lot of em.”

“So how long has she been in there?” Neve asked, coming around to take a seat on the couch next to Harding.

“3 hours and 23 minutes.” Came Lucanis’s prompt reply, spurring a laugh from Neve.

Davrin sighed deeply. “Guess there’s nothing we can do but wait then. C’mon Assan, let’s go preen your feathers.”

The young griffon trilled in joyful assent before bounding off towards the door.

~~~

It was another several hours later before everyone was summoned to the kitchen by a few wisps that had been coaxed into Sabriel’s service by offering them a few curious notes from her personal desk (and potentially one of Neve’s. Not that Neve needed to know).

The group entered to a table sprawling with a variety of foods - fresh cut fruits, some sort of stuffed mushroom dish, a few pots of what appeared to be sauces, cups filled with drinks and in the center of it all- 3 large pies lovingly decorated with dragon motifs.

“You made all of this yourself?!” Harding exclaimed as Sabriel wiped her hands on her apron.

(She played it off as getting off some stray flour but really her palms were sweating. Were they going to like it? Was she going to give everyone food poisoning? Only time would tell.)

Setting aside her anxieties, Sabriel smiled broadly at her team. “I found my old recipe notes from when some of the other elves in the Watch gave me some cooking tips.” She pointed at each pie in succession. “This one’s a fish-based one, this one is root vegetables with herbs, and this one at the end is an extra spicy curried vegetables.” She smiled at Taash. “Hopefully it’ll be to your taste.”

Taash’s responding toothy grin helped settle her nerves enough to explain herself.

“I just figured…we’ve killed an archdemon. We took down two dragons. And we’ve even drawn blood from Ghilan’nain. I wanted to do something to thank you guys for all your hard work and…celebrate how far we’ve made it.” Her courage faltered a bit at their stares and her smile turned a bit nervous. “So umm…bon appetit?”

The silence that threatened was immediately broken by Assan noisily crowing and bounding the table, followed quickly by Manfred, who picked up a stuffed mushroom and began poking at the cheese mixture in the middle.

As both skeleton and griffon received a sound scolding for lack of manners from their respective fathers, the group laughed and took their seats, happy chatter echoing through the kitchen as everyone discovered that Bellara was right.

Turns out Rook is a pretty good cook when she tries.

-----

16. Rook falling in love for the first time-

Love was never an easy thing for Sabriel to understand.

Attachment? This she knew. She had her friends in the wisps and spirits, in her fellow Watchers and the friendlier undead.

Obligation? Certainly, she had her duties to the Watch, to the living, to the memory of the dead.

Affection? More difficult, but still known. She watched her agemates form bonds, experiment with public displays, experienced friendly nudges and hair ruffling.

It was the sum total of these parts that eluded her.

What was it that drove others to write entire operas about the passion of romance? What spurred heartbroken poetry and the lovers’ suicides that she had heard rumor of in the Necropolis? How overwhelming was this experience of seeing and being seen?

Was it joy? She had seen it described as a feeling of floating, of wanting to burst into song.

Was it pain? She had heard tales of excruciating attachment, so strong it hurt more than helped.

It was a question she had resigned herself to never fully receiving an answer, no matter how hard she tried.

It felt like a wall she could never break through— A glass barrier where she could watch everyone on the other side experience transcendence. She was never bitter, but a bit confused, and very resigned to her fate as a companion of only spirits and the dead.

And yet, when she sat at the Lighthouse’s table, cup of cioccolata calda made especially for her in her hands, watching Lucanis’s face light up with silent laughter at something Harding said-

The glass began to crack.

[thedissonantverses]

Ahhhhhhh thank you for answering!! And for sharing!!!

1. 13. 16. For the Rook + partner asks please!!! Thank you!! (Dissonant Verses here)

Hi thank you so much for the ask!! It's my first time sharing a lot of OC stuff on here haha //////

Answers featuring Sabriel Ingellvar, my mage Mourn Watcher who romanced Lucanis!

1. Does your Rook fall for their partner at first sight? If not, what moment made your Rook realize they're in love with them? 

For Sabriel it was a little less love at first sight and more of a feeling of “ohh boy this guy really needs someone in his corner after all of that” when it came to Lucanis. She’s very quick to jump in headfirst when it comes to taking care of her friends, and a sign of her love and trust is that she allows people to reciprocate (either by asking for help or just accepting support without much resistance). It is the romance confirmation scene of him making dessert that made her realize she was in love with him- it was the moment where things clicked for her that he was doing just as much to support her in her struggles in keeping everyone together against the gods. While he said it wasn’t enough, for her it was a powerful emotional reaction of “Oh. Someone is paying attention to me too.”

13. What song(s) do you associate with them?

Top of mind is Hardest of Hearts by Florence and the Machine! The lyrics “There is love in your body but you can’t get it out- it gets stuck in your head, won’t come out of your mouth” I think really fits the sort of avoidance that they have around truer deeper feelings until faced with crisis. Lay It All On Me from Carole and Tuesday is also in their rotation, just the general feeling of “I’ll take care of things for you, rely on me” is very much their vibe.

16. How did your Rook react to getting trapped in the Fade and separated from their partner? 

Seeing the illusion of Lucanis’s body as she was dragged into the regret prison really set her up for failure at the start. She has to spend more time than she’d like to admit really getting herself together once she realizes where she is. All she can do is run through everything that went wrong, how her whole original team pretty much is gone - Harding is dead, Neve is gone, Lucanis could be dead. One of the regrets that weighs her down is that she let him cut her off when she tried to tell him she loved him before the fight. Eventually, she realizes that she can’t wallow - if she’s grieving the chance that they’re dead, chances are they’re doing the same for her, and she swore she wouldn’t leave Lucanis to face things alone after pulling him out of the Ossuary in his mind.

[thedissonantverses]

The orb and dagger is a great thing to like haha it’s so good!! I really love these a) the clothing is on point b)digging the grim that’s such a cool idea!!!! Thanks for sharing these are so good!!

Hahaha so bit off more than I can chew this week so instead of a proper writing challenge Wednesday just keep sending me your wips or head canons or gifs or art!!! Whatever you want!! I may run a couple of old challenges later!!

Idunno just show me what you’re working on or tell me what’s on your mind!!!!!