#phryne ingellvar

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the dreaded age gap

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Phryne Ingellvar

Elke Ingellvar

Tage Mercar

Gen de Riva

Tenet Laidir

Auryn Thorne

Birdie Aldwir

rook qotd: what plushie from jellycat would they like :)

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Emmrich talking about a past fling

A Romanced!Rook’s “Did yooou?” is so funny to me gjdkfkd

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emmrichmancers this is the vibe right

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late nights in the lighthouse

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More screenshots of my Rook, Phryne Ingellvar, aka Thedas’s Sexiest GILF

Bonus: Team Mom and Dad :P

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i'm gonna be so normal about emmrich, i promise

(gonna start by making my rook a gilf)

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was considering the idea that my rook, phryne, and emmrich very briefly crossed paths as children

phryne was taken in by a noblewoman necromancer and was spoiled rotten as a kid so bby emmrich thinks he saw real life princess u.u

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when your parents aren't mad, just disappointed

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Phryne Ingellvar Banter

writing full fics is still kind of exhausting to me, so I've taken to writing fake banters for my Mourn Watch Rook, Phryne Ingellvar. Most of them are with Emmrich, because he's her romance, but maybe I'll eventually expand on her relationships with the other members of the Veilguard. A lot of this is mostly bits and bobs from Phryne's backstory.

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[During Emmrich's recruitment quest, as they’re traversing through the Necropolis]

Emmrich: Surely we’ve crossed paths before, Rook? It seems bizarre that we’ve both been Watchers for so long and never interacted. I swear the name Ingellvar sounds familiar…

Phryne: Well, I mostly did grunt work. Escorts for trainees entering the Necropolis for the first time, protecting mourners visiting the graves. That sort of thing. Probably not what you spent most of your time doing.

Emmrich: Ah, I see. Still…

Phryne: Though we have met before.

Emmrich: Oh? I’m sorry, I can’t recall…

Phryne: Don’t worry about it, Professor. It was almost a decade ago, and it was brief.

Emmrich: Well, you remembered. I hope I made a good first impression, at least?

Phryne: I don’t think you’re capable of leaving a bad one, from what I’ve seen so far.

Harding: Um, sorry to interrupt, but can we maybe focus on the horde of despair demons charging at us right now?

Phryne & Emmrich: Spirits!

Harding: Whatever!

*

[When Phryne goes to see how Emmrich is settling in]

Emmrich: When did we meet, Rook? It’s been driving me mad.

Phryne: Oh, alright. It was at a funeral. My son’s. You administered his final rites and prepared his body for burial.

Emmrich: Oh! Of course. I remember now.

Phryne: Really? It was so long ago, and I’m sure you’ve performed dozens of final rites over the years. I wouldn’t be upset if you couldn’t recall…

Emmrich: Not many Nevarrans left to join the Inquisition. It was seen as a primarily “southern” concern, despite the danger it posed to all of Thedas. I remember thinking that young Rothe Ingellvar must have been a fine young man, to give his life for such a cause. 

Phryne: He was. 

Emmrich: I’m sure I said it back then, but my condolences, Rook. 

Phryne: Thank you, Emmrich. 

*

Emmrich: I’ve been wondering something, Rook. If you don’t mind a personal question. 

Phryne: Ask away. 

Emmrich: We’ve been in the Mourn Watch for almost the same number of years. You’re an incredible warrior, a natural born leader, and every other Watcher I’ve asked has nothing but wonderful things to say about you. 

Phryne: Aw. Thanks. But… what’s the question?

Emmrich: By all accounts, you should be extremely high up in the ranks. But by your own admission, you’re just “a grunt.” Why haven’t you been promoted?

Phryne: Ah. Well. They tried, at first. But I joined the Watch after I had my kids, so they were my priority. Promotions meant more responsibility, more responsibility meant more time away from them. And then, after rejecting promotions for years, they finally stopped trying. Happily been a grunt ever since. 

Emmrich: I suppose I can understand that. But wouldn’t a promotion also mean more money with which to support your family?

Phryne: My mother left me with her estate when she passed. We were always comfortable. I just wanted as much time with my kids as possible. 

Emmrich: That’s very admirable. 

Phryne: Really? Mother always said my lack of ambition was my fatal flaw. 

Emmrich: I think love for one’s family outweighs that. 

*

Emmrich: The Battleaxe!

Phryne: Sorry?

Emmrich: Your surname, Ingellvar — it’s been nagging at me, but I finally remember where I’ve heard it before! Your mother was Prudence Ingellvar, the Battleaxe!

Phryne: Oh! (Laughs) I forgot they used to call her that. Yeah, that was my mother. You knew her?

Emmrich: I’m afraid I never had the good fortune, but I knew her reputation. A staunch traditionalist, to be sure, but such exemplary understanding of anatomy and theory! Her essay on both magical and mundane methods of preserving vital organs was quite innovative!

Phryne: Oh, she would’ve adored you. 

*

[After revisiting the Necropolis for the first time and speaking with Myrna and Vorgoth]

Emmrich: Phryne?

Phryne: Yes?

Emmrich: Just making sure I heard correctly. Back at the Necropolis, Myrna called you ‘Phryne’ rather than ‘Rook’. Is that your given name?

Phryne: Oh, it is. Rook is a… recent nickname. Varric started calling me that after we met. Something about chess pieces.

Emmrich: What would you prefer to be called?

Phryne: Rook is probably easier. No one could ever pronounce Phryne right when I was younger. The number of times I was called ‘Frine’ or ‘Fern’...

Emmrich: (laughs) A shame. It’s a lovely name.

Phryne: Well. I like it when you say it.

Emmrich: Very well. Phryne.

*

[During their first date]

Phryne: This is one of the more romantic dates I’ve been on. 

Emmrich: How wonderful! I was afraid I’d lost my touch. Between work and research and teaching Manfred, there hasn’t been time lately for company. 

Phryne: I know what you mean. 

Emmrich: Do you?

Phryne: Well, I spent the last year or so hunting down Solas. Not a lot of time for courting. And even before that, I’d… sort of given up on romance. 

Emmrich: Oh. May I ask why?

Phryne: Dating’s hard with kids. I always had someone willing to look after them if I had plans for the evening, but a lot of the time, people were put off by the fact that I even had children. Or the kids would hate them for whatever reason. Or things would work out for a while before fizzling out. So I stopped focusing on relationships and just focused on… the physical side of things. 

Emmrich: I see…

Phryne: Does that… bother you? My ‘experience’? I know some people find it unladylike. 

Emmrich: My dear, I would never hold your past against you. I’m only marveling at my good fortune, to be the one to show you how a proper courtship works. 

Phryne: Ooh. Bold words, Volkarin. Are you sure you have the skills to back up that confidence?

Emmrich: You’re not the only one with experience, darling. 

*

[After Harding asking about whether Emmrich is a noble]

Harding: So you’re really not nobility? Volkarin just sounds so… fancy. 

Emmrich: It’s a commoner’s name. My father was a butcher and my mother was a cook. If you want to speak to Nevarran nobility, you could always ask Rook. 

Harding: (laughs) Right. 

Emmrich: …

Harding: … Wait, really? Rook is a noble?

Phryne: You don’t need to sound so surprised. 

Harding: It’s just… you don’t really act like…

Phryne: To my mother’s chagrin, I know. But in my defense, I was adopted. 

Emmrich: Oh, truly? I hadn’t known that. 

Phryne: Mother and a few of our undead found me in an abandoned crypt when I was just an infant. She took me in, raised me as her own. 

Emmrich: How sweet! I’d heard one of our own was a cryptling, I had no idea it was you!

Harding: … You were found in a tomb? As a baby?

Emmrich: That isn’t so unusual in Nevarra. Many Watchers see them as an omen!

Phryne: Whether I was a good or bad omen depended on if I took a nap that day. According to my mother. 

Harding: … Nevarrans are so weird. 

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another little thing of my Rook, Phryne, and her beau-to-be Emmrich

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they're pretty spry for senior citizens

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Portrait of the Ingellvar-Volkarin family, 9:53 Dragon

aka behold: my needlessly intricate OC lore

My main Rook is the older woman to the left, Phryne, a Mourn Watch warrior. She romanced Emmrich and so basically adopted Manfred by the end.

My other Rook is the other woman on the right, Elke. She's Phryne's daughter and a necromancer in the Mourn Watch. She romanced Davrin, so Assan is basically their kid.

The young man on the left is Malavai, Phryne's grandson and Elke's nephew. His parents were Rothe (Phryne's son/Elke's twin brother) and Mianna. Unfortunately, they passed away years before the story of Veilguard. Malavai is holding Mianna's skull while Phryne is holding Rothe's. idk i feel like it's normal for Nevarrans to break out the remains for fancy family portraits.

additional misc information:

Mianna died of a fever, and Rothe died serving in the Inquisition. Phryne has no ill will towards the Inquisition about his death. Elke kind of does.

Elke was one of Emmrich's students, years ago. She greatly respects him and looks up to him as a fellow necromancer. At least until he started dating her mom. :P She comes to accept their relationship... eventually.

In my canon worldstate, Elke and Davrin don't meet until the endgame mission, where they ended up fighting back to back during the final assault. He impulsively asked her out, and she impulsively agreed. Davrin learned she was Phryne's daughter afterwards.

Malavai idolizes Emmrich, and has taken to dressing like him. He also gets along very well with Manfred, viewing him like a little brother. Conversely, it took him a while to get used to Assan.

Poor Davrin is the only non-Nevarran here and subsequently deals with a lot of culture shock. Like when Phryne brought out two skulls she said were her son and daughter in law for the family portrait.

Not pictured is Prudence Ingellvar, Phryne's adoptive mother. Her corpse serves as a sentry in the Necropolis and couldn't be spared for the portrait, so Phryne is wearing her necklace instead. definitely not because i forgot i gave phryne a mom until it was too late to go back and add her in

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*neck romances the necromancer*

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Random fact about Phryne Ingellvar:

Her favorite animal is the humble rat. She caught one in the kitchens once as a child and proudly presented it to her mother, asking if she could keep it. Prudence Ingellvar was horrified, soundly rejecting the idea and making her release the rat outside. But little Phryne was so mopey that Prudence eventually gave in and agreed to let her have one as a pet.

Prudence, a noblewoman, arranged for an Orlesian fancy rat to be presented to Phryne on her ninth birthday — because if her daughter insists on having a rodent, it will at least be one with a pedigree!

Phryne named her new rat Melchior and loved it with every fiber of her being. Unfortunately, even rats in fantasy settings don’t live for long, so Melchior passed away at the impressive age of four, when Phryne was thirteen.

But we’re in Nevarra, babey! Land of the undead, wisps and spirits in abundance! A passing wisp noted Phryne’s sadness as she buried her pet, and decided to inhabit Melchior’s corpse. Phryne was delighted to see her beloved companion back on their doorstep the following morning. Her mother was… concerned, but being a necromancer herself, she quickly deduced that the wisp was harmless. And she loved to see her daughter happy.

The wisp acts exactly like Melchior did in life, causing Phryne to believe in the theory that some part of the departed’s souls do indeed come back upon reanimating. Even as Melchior’s fur falls out and it becomes just a skeleton scurrying about, Phryne still loves and cares for it (it doesn’t eat anymore, but it does like having its skull petted, and it likes being carried around in pockets or on top of heads).

Phryne passed Melchior down to her children, twins Elke and Rothe, who also adored it. Then, Rothe had his own son, Malavai, and Melchior passed to him. It’s still living its best un-life with the ever-doting Ingellvar family.

Eventually, Phryne introduces her oldest friend to her new paramour, Emmrich. I think it would be interesting if Emmrich had a minor phobia of rats (due to the headcanon of him being trapped in a collapsed building for hours with nothing but his parents’ bodies and rats for company). So he’s terrified of Melchior, and Phryne notices. But when she apologizes and tries to take Melchior out of his sight, Emmrich stops her. He knows that Melchior is like family to her, and he wants to be on good terms with all the important people in her life. Even if they’re undead rats.

Besides, a creature that’s been benevolently possessed for nearly four decades! His fear aside, that’s astounding!!

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felt romantic, decided to draw Phryne in a wedding dress

i assume white wedding dresses share the same symbolism in Thedas that they do IRL, so Phryne wouldn't opt to wear one. and i imagine black wedding dresses are all the rage in Nevarra lmao

also her bouquet is made from lilacs (Emmrich's favorite color), red cypress flowers (Phryne's favorite flower), and shroud's kiss (the flower Emmrich presents to you at his romance confirmation scene >w>)