#then all of the mages that imprinted on Gretchen and Anders like baby ducks. they will have spent at least twice as long

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Other deeply funny “Rook is someone tied to my past protags” thought: Rook as one of Gretchen and Anders’ approximately two dozen adopted mage children. Two possible backgrounds for this:

1. Lords of Fortune - the kid joined Isabela’s pirate crew and from there, ended up in the treasure hunter lifestyle

2. Shadow Dragons - the kid (who for reasons we’ll see, is probably human) decided to tag along with Fenris at some point when their paths crossed. Fenris does not fucking want this. Fenris does not want a half-trained teen mage sidekick - especially not one whose education, after the Circles fell, came from Anders. Fenris, however, cannot lose the kid, and eventually comes to (grudgingly, then eventually less grudgingly) accept their company, as they’re neither an abomination nor a blood mage.

Eventually, after years helping Fenris do whatever he does hunting magisters and killing slavers, the kid decides that they are going to infiltrate the heart of Tevinter and start fucking shit up there. (See, this is why they’re a human. I don’t think Fenris would let an elf, even a mage, walk into Minrathus. A human, however, while it’s still dangerous, he’s like. Well I couldn’t stop you from following me all this time. I can’t stop you now. Nor do I think an elf would have the audacity to try this. This is purely a thing that an early-20s human mage with no memory of any parents other than the two most chaotic attempted martyrs in Thedas would do. Fenris realizes this.)

Anyway so they go to Minrathus and eventually make some connections and join the Shadow Dragons.

EITHER WAY:

Along with everything else he’s got to worry about at the start of Veilguard, Varric is afraid he’s going to have to write another letter to Anders telling him that once again, the worst happened under Varric’s watch.