#varric is a reporter

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @lykegenia @greypetrel @ndostairlyrium and @chanafehs this week, thank you all for the tag! Tagging: @exhausted-archivist, @layalu, @inquisimer, @bumblewarden, @pickelda, @bitchesofostwick, @dreadfutures, @pinayelf, @star--nymph, @jtownnn, @idolsgf, @zencetera, @elfroot-and-laurels @persimminwrites @saessenach @midmorninggrey if you have things you want to share! I haven't been writing much the last few weeks for various reasons, but here is a bit of something I've been mulling. It's from the haunted house AU I've been writing on and off for the last year or so (Bones and All is what it's actually called, it has a name now). I don't think I've shared this bit before, but I can't find the other snippet lol:

(No pairing | 559 Words | Horror elements, no gore)

Hawke hadn’t meant anything by it when she’d stacked the worst of the furniture by the door.

She had, perhaps, intended to walk to town tomorrow and see if there was anyone who might haul the gruesome lot of it away. It was not her style (she had wondered, looking at the upturned faces of the lambs gamboling over the loveseat's back, if it had ever been anyone’s style), it was just worn and broken enough to merit getting rid of, and that had been the extent of her concern. One by one, the worst things had been dragged or carried to the pile by the door and she’d thought no more of it. 

The first low, creaking groan came sometime in the night. Hawke, who’d been half-drowsing by the last of the lamplight, stirred at the sound, but didn’t get up. Old houses settled. This one just—just settled more than others. That was all. 

The second noise was unmistakable, less a groan and more of a drawn-out dragging sound. Hawke scraped the sleep from her eyes and straightened in her chair, listening. Wood on wood—that’s what it had to be. But what—

The sound rose in pitch and grew louder, louder, until it was a roar in her ears—no, a shriek, a scream, a wounded thing wailing its rage and fear in one great cry—and Hawke had clapped her hands over her ears before she could remember deciding to do it. 

“Stop it,” she said, her voice muffled and unfamiliar to her covered ears. “Stop it. Stop it!”

All at once, the sound cut off, as if some great door had been slammed between her and it. She found her skin clammy with sweat, her breath coming so fast and sharp that it burned. The light in the lamp guttered, though it had shone strongly only a moment ago. She turned the wick until the light chased away the shadows in the corners of the room. It almost looked like an ordinary room in the light—or at least, she tried to convince herself so. An ordinary room. A house anyone might want to live in. Yes; that had to be right. 

Her own footsteps were muffled in the hall, though she still hadn’t rolled that dreadful, stained carpet back out. The ground seemed to sink slightly beneath her feet. Something had fallen in the night, perhaps. Maybe it was something important, a joist or a structural beam, and she would have to declare the whole lot of it a lost cause. They would be homeless in truth then, with nowhere for Carver or her mother to go. 

It would be an improvement, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. Anything would be better than this. 

“I love this place,” Hawke said, and her voice crawled down the hallway in echoes, “I do. Look at how beautiful it is; anyone would want to live here.”

Some burden resting on both shoulders, some presence which had been looming over her and adding pressure ounce by ounce, eased away so suddenly that Hawke was giddy with it. She laughed, sharp and thready, and half-stumbled down the stairs in her nightgown. The sound; there had been some great sound, some horrible dragging noise. Something in the house had been damaged, surely. She would walk down the stairs and she would see…

[sky--phantom]

Times other people discussed Solavellan + Times Solas and Lavellan talked about each other (dav)

"I've seen how you look at him. You're in it" - Sera

"Is it my imagination, dear, or have certain... lingering looks passed between you and our Solas?" - Vivienne

"You're real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can't" - Cole

"The two of you were close. Perhaps he had no choice? He might return at any moment" - Leliana

"How have you been? It seems ages since we've spoken. I know you were cruely disappointed when Solas left" - Vivienne

"Are you hoping for word on Solas? I'm sorry, Inquisitor. I'm afraid I have nothing" - Leliana

"I've been meaning to ask... Solas hasn't come back? Sent word? Anything?" - Thom

"Oh, and Inquisitor? Feels weird, but I'm sorry Solas never came back. Well, no, I'm not, but... I'm sorry he left you." - Sera

"I am not a god, Charter. I am prideful, hotheaded, and foolish, and I am doing what I must. When you report back to the Inquisitor…. Say that I am sorry.” - Solas

"Maybe it's gullible of me, but I know the Inquisitor feels the same: Solas isn't too far gone to bring back" - Varric

"Solas was... important to me. If this statuette helps you understand him, if it uncovers something that... Honestly, I don't know. I wish I did. But this feels like a part of him, and whatever he and I once were... I think... I-I hope... it might help you" - Lavellan

"And when I served the Inquisition, I tried to avoid entanglements" - Solas

"Except for Inquisitor Lavellan" - Rook

"I said that I resolved to do so, not that I succeeded. She's a good woman. Growing close to her was... selfish of me" - Solas

"Do you regret it?" - Rook

"I live with countless regrets. Some of them I have grown to cherish more than my victories" - Solas

"Solas took this path because he thinks he has no choice. But the Inquisitor believes there is another way for him. For them. She could save him, if he would just let her" - Harding

"God of Lies, Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel. They're titles he earned from enemies, followers and fractured history. He and I shared another name: Vhenan" - Lavellan

"You've spoken to him in your dreams. You've felt the power of that mind. His love could burn against me like a bonfire. He seemed so kind, and wise, and sad, and looked at me as if I somehow mattered more than anything around us. For a time... I thought I would have followed anywhere he asked me to" - Lavellan

"Or maybe I'm the prideful one, imagining his broken heart so that I never have to face my folly. That I loved someone who made such grave mistakes. That I might love him still" - Lavellan

"He really made you happy?" - Rook

"Yes, he really did" - Lavellan

"Harding... I am sorry" - Solas

"For what, Solas? Betraying the Inquisitor and breaking her heart?" - Harding

"Is there any chance - any chance at all - that he would listen to reason?" - Lavellan

"Speaking from the heart, Inquisitor?" - Morrigan

"With Elgar'nan and and Ghilan'nain dead, and the Inquisitor finally reunited with her true love... it looked like one of the biggest stories this world had ever seen was finally drawing to a close" - Varric

[antlerlad]

in which the inquisitor is a little too comfortable around her vhenan.

image description in alt text and also below the cut

A 4 panel comic. Panel 1: The camera is framed so that Cassandra Pentaghast's head is in the bottom of the panel, and the subjects of the panel - Inquisitor Lavellan and Solas - are in the back. Solas hands the Inquisitor a paper and says, "Good morning. I brought the latest reports from the scouts." Inquisitor Lavellan puts her hand on the small of his back and says "Ah, thank you. Good boy." Panel 2: The Inquisitor, realizing what she just said, has an absolutely mortified expression, and so does Solas. In the background, Cassandra and Varric Tethras stare on in varying states of shock. Panel 3: A close up of Cassandra (horrified and blushing) and Varric (shocked, but thrilled by how hilarious this is). Panel 4: A shot of all four of them. Solas looks away from everyone else with a thousand yard stare and thinks, "Is this it? Is this how it all finally ends?" The Inquisitor has turned to yell at Varric, who is saying "DORIAN'S NEVER GONNA FUCKING BELIEVE THIS" and cackling. The Inquisitor interrupts him by saying, "NOT A WORD, TETHRAS." Cassandra is refusing to look at anyone, and says weakly, "Could someone point me to the nearest body of water so that I might drown myself."

[xaphii]

Can you imagine Solas having one spy in the Inquisition whose job is to SPECIFICALLY keep tabs on Inquisitor Lavellan, and it's pretty easy because they're an elf so yadayada kinship so the agent manages to get good rapour with inky (not like friends or anything but they get along as much as fake-employee and boss can get along) and it's fairly easy to keep tabs on her, and when the agent has a moment to get back to the lighthouse to report in they're ready to answer the standard questions "what is her focus" "where is she allocating troups" "how is she going look for Solas" etc and instead Solas is just like "what's she reading right now?" "Is she eating okay?" "Has she lost any weight?" "Are the others supporting her?" And the agent is just like...?? "I... don't know?" And Solas starts swearing in ancient elvhen and throwing furniture so the agent gets the f out of there before they get FIRED and heads back to skyhold and manages to like fake an injury or something and get reasigned to the kitchens or something similar and starts keeping tabs on all the previous stuff and then finally when they next get back to the lighthouse and can respond to the questions this time (she's not reading a lot but she does have a book of dalish fables by her bed, she doesn't eat a lot, the cooks have made comment on her loosing weight, she seems to be distancing herself from the group (overheard from Varric and Dorian)) and solas is just like "thank you, you can go" and the agent just walks out of the office a bit flabbergasted, like they guess it's an improvement but wth? and they've only just shut the door and suddenly they can hear VIOLENT sobbing and MORE throwing of furniture and they're like "okay wtf is going on" and another agent is like "oh you didn't know?" And then the agent finds out THEY were doing it and every agent Solas has put on her keeps quitting cos spying on the leader of a religious army for her god ex-boyfriend is the worst gig ever

[ferventrapture]

They could've really ramped up the weirdness with Solas and I am going to be forever bummed that they didn't. Think about it, he's an eldritch being made demi-human flesh and he thinks immortality is the natural state of being. Maybe just for Elves, but what if he thought it was natural for everyone? What if when he stabbed Varric, he actually connected him to a titan which took in his consciousness so he wasn't actually 'dead' and was instead 'eternal' and the lyrium dagger was the link to that titan.

So when you saw him around, it was the him connected to the Titan. What if you knew Solas killed Varric and confronted him and he was like 'He is not dead, he is Eternal, as he should be.' and was just utterly convinced he'd done him a favor?

Like 'this is natural, this is what you should've been. You'll never die, isn't that great?' and meanwhile Varric thinks he's still alive and really walking around, even has a lyrium ghost form because the Lighthouse is in the Fade. You have to inform him, uh, you're dead and you're being kept 'alive' by a Titan indefinitely and he'd have to just. Deal with that. What if these things showed in Inquisition where he reacted very badly every time someone died. Not just his friend Wisdom, but anyone. Like it was an unnatural thing that really bothered him. Every time our troops died in great number in the field he's just sitting at his desk, looking sad and mopey and his voice lines are tired and sorrowful. And I dunno if humans are eternal originally, but Solas being convinced that it's the natural state of all things and they must've been, would've been cool to show. What if when you romance him he becomes panicked every time you fall in battle. Not just 'oh no! Hold on!' shit but like literally his AI will stop what he's doing and rush over to help you even if you're not controlling him to. Which would've been a cool thing to happen with all love interests, honestly, but what if the whole time he's just quietly freaking out under his breath. (of course in this version he can romance anyone of any race or gender because the point of his romance is realizing that people are people which applies to all of them.) What if we got reports after Wisdom died and he walked off, that half the countryside was destroyed with random bursts of magic and when he comes back we're like 'hey, was that you?' and he's just very quietly like 'I had a lot to work out'. And what if what galvanizes him isn't necessarily that he loves you, but because he loves you as a friend or lover, he cannot bear thinking of you or his other friends in the Inquisition dying? What if he tries to find a way to make Humans immortal because now he loves them too and wants to keep them? Just the ones not being dickheads, because he kills tyrants and honestly the ones owning slaves can just die, no loss there. But his human friends who are complex but good like Blackwall and possibly you and Vivienne even though they fight like cats and dogs because she IS doing her best in her own way, even if he doesn't understand it? What if the entirety of Veilguard/Dreadwolf had been about Solas desperately trying to stop death? Trying to save his people yes, but because their suffering would only end in death. They couldn't just outlast their masters and go on living endlessly afterwards. They would have a short life filled with pain and that's JUST too horrible to think about.

And he's perfectly reasonable, logical and understands compassion and empathy, which is what makes it so creepy when he starts talking about death and how it's unnatural and how he'll save everyone.

Not in the 'man I can't understand that' way, but in the way of 'damn, I can totally understand that but also his understanding of it is so alien it makes my brain tired trying to figure it out'.

[luke-naberrie]

i saw that dragon age veilguard hasn't sold well (in the official statement, they specifically said that 1.5 million copies had 'reached players' so it must have sold even worse than that which. yikes) and while i'm quite gutted about that, ea and bioware also only have themselves to blame for it.

they let ten entire years pass between inquisition - a game that, for the most part, dragon age fans generally really like, at least for the lore - and veilguard. in those years, we saw them make andromeda, anthem, and heard reports of them trying to make the-then new dragon age game live service. thankfully we didn't get a live service dragon age game in the end, but a lot of the original writers were dropped, and i think that shows with the quality of the writing in veilguard.

i've never played dragon age for the gameplay, in any of the games. i despise the gameplay in origins - it's clunky and horrible and the deep roads makes me want to let the darkspawn win. but i love the story, which is why i endure the deep roads and the fade. the same in da2, which is probably my favourite of the entire series, even with the repeating dungeons (actually i love the repeating dungeons. i like knowing where things are), and the same in inquisition with the companions who feel like real people (cassandra pentaghast my beloved).

veilguard... the cuts show in the writing quality. the best character was emmrich (and assan and manfred) and from what i've heard he also had the best romance. which is another thing that suffered greatly - the romances (other than emmrich's). in a game series known for its romances, to the point where bioware was marketing the game as the most romantic as the series, how have they managed to mess it up that badly? cullen and solas' romances were late game additions in inquisition, and they're some of the best in the entire series, so it can't be an issue of time constraints.

rook's dialogue choices were essentially just different flavours of pleasant. do you want to be cheerful, lesser purple-hawke, or stoic? there's no real choice to be had throughout most of the game. even the choice between minrathous and treviso has little impact beyond what merchants might be available and a couple of later game choices. compared to earlier games, where you could let an entire village be overrun by corpses, or let fenris be taken back by danarius, the lack of choice is rather stark in comparison. the only real choices come at the very end of the game.

AND speaking of choices - the entire series has been about how all our previous choices have always mattered, about how we can always carry them over and use them to influence the world. so it was very much a slap in the face when not only could we not use the dragon age keep or import any choice beyond who we romanced in inquisition and what we wanted to do with solas, but the fact that by the end of veilguard, everything we did from origins to inquisition was all for nothing. bioware's choice to do that to varric was a kick in the teeth to long-term fans. oh, we got a little reference to the hero of ferelden in weisshaupt, how nice. pity they didn't tell us whether they're still alive or not. a shame we don't know hawke's fate.

so no, i'm not surprised that the game did so poorly in sales. i'm disappointed, but i'm not surprised because as i said, it's their own fault. i said back in november that they might not have another chance to make things right, and i hate that i might've been right about that.

this turned into an unintentional rant about all my grievances with the game.

[felassan]

[A link] to another article on their impressions, written by another reporter that attended the behind-closed-doors advanced presentation of DA:TV at Summer Game Fest.

Notes:

"We were told that one of the three key pillars of the game was 'Be Who You Want To Be.'"

"Numerous selections for a wide variety of body types & skin tones"

If you choose to fight/be aggressive in the bar scene, the fight scene that follows is just that, a fight scene as opposed to an actual combat encounter

At this point a popup advises that Varric paid attention to your choice (Fel note: I'm guessing like "Varric approves/disapproves"? it's interesting in that it seems that it is not only the 7 core party members who that will occur for)

"affable, irreverent, or tough dialogue selections" (Fel note: diplomatic/purple/red Hawke vibes)

In the demo they saw, because it was so early in the game, only one skill was available on the menu (this was also the same in the gameplay reveal video released to the public)

Some enemies have typical red health bars, others have an orange bar that is best taken down by heavy attacks, others still have a blue barrier bar best taken down by ranged attacks

Large bright conspicuous green vases give Rook a potion when broken (we also saw this in the public gameplay vid). these are dotted in numerous places, "and they almost feel like health checkpoints"

on the Lighthouse, and travel: "The Lighthouse will serve as a "central place" of rest and companion interaction. From here, you will head to the Crossroads to traverse "separate explorable regions of the world with your companions."

it was previously inferred from concept art and elsewhere, but this article confirms that we will visit Weisshaupt

"the focus on a mission-based structure, the class and skill systems, the character focus & dialogue choices" feel reminiscent of ME2

In the demo BioWare highlighted three pillars: 1. Be Who You Want To Be as mentioned above, 2. Inspire A Team Of Unforgettable Heroes, and 3. A World Worth Saving

[source]

[loredrinker]

What Post-Trespasser Stories Reveal About the Inquisitor

I recently finished reading Tevinter Nights and it struck me that these stories created a consistent portrayal of the Inquisitor - as if the writers were shaping a canonical vision of who the Inquisitor is.

In stories like The Dread Wolf Take You, Callback, Genitivi Dies in the End, and Murder by Death, and a bit of other extra media, there’s a consistent throughline in how the Inquisitor is described.

1. Still Leading, Still Impactful

In The Dread Wolf Take You, when Solas reveals himself to Charter, he doesn’t speak of the Inquisition as a disbanded or faceless group. He says: “When you report back to the Inquisitor… Say that I am sorry.” The wording is direct, and his voice falters as he says it. That moment reveals two things: the Inquisitor remains the point of contact and authority within the organization - and Solas still feels something personal toward them, suggesting the Inquisitor is someone who can still shake a 'god'.

In Genitivi Dies in the End, Charter continues to lead missions under the Inquisition’s banner. The story’s most sensitive discoveries - truths about the Evanuris and the Veil - are deemed too dangerous to publish. Instead, the information is sent “for the generals”, implying a still-functioning command structure with the Inquisitor at the top - suggesting continuity and trust in the Inquisitor’s judgment.

That trust extends to temporary alliances too. In Dark Fortress, Fenris joins a team of Inquisition agents in a mission to stop a red lyrium ritual that threatens Thedas. The Inquisition is a force where it can even bring in allies like Fenris, who historically has strong anti-mage and anti-authoritarian views, but still sees value in this cause.

In Murder by Death, Cassandra speaks on the Inquisitor’s behalf when ordering an agent to stop an assassination plot in Nevarra. She makes clear: “The Inquisitor does not wish to see that happen.” implying that the Inquisitor remains involved in major political decisions and is still regarded as a central authority by senior figures.

2. A Leader Worth Following

When Charter confronts Solas in The Dread Wolf Take You, she speaks as someone still acting on the Inquisitor’s moral example: “You told the Inquisitor that you were going to destroy this world. Did you expect us not to try to stop you?” Her conviction reflects loyalty to the Inquisitor’s judgment. That influence lingers and it extends beyond Charter. In Dragon Age: Absolution, we see agents still working in the Inquisition’s name - gathering allies, retrieving dangerous magical artifacts, and confronting threats linked to Solas’ broader network. In The Missing, Varric and Harding are personally tasked by the Inquisitor to pursue Solas through the Deep Roads and beyond. Their mission is about carrying forward a purpose they still believe in, even when the odds are against them. The fact that these field operatives continue to coordinate, recruit, and act with shared direction suggests they still recognize a leader worth following. This isn’t a scattered resistance - it’s the legacy of someone whose influence still holds them together. Varric's letters in Veilguard support this as well.

All of this - agents acting in the field, dangerous intelligence routed back to them, and political directives issued in their name - builds a consistent picture. The Inquisitor isn’t just a symbol of a bygone era. They are still trusted, still informed, and still pursuing Solas. And what they know - about the elven gods, the Veil, and Solas’ - goes far deeper than Veilguard alone suggests.

3. The Inquisition Was a Reflection of The People

In Callback, Sutherland and his companions return to a silent, corrupted Skyhold. The story pauses to reflect on the reach of the Inquisition that once called it home. The nobility feared the Inquisition’s size - “ten thousand” soldiers, assassins, diplomats, and freeblades loyal not to crowns, but to a cause. That kind of devotion is implied to be unsettling to a world built on lineage and borders. More horrifying to them still was the idea that all of it could be wielded by one person: the Inquisitor. They were called a “charismatic monster,” because the nobility feared them for how compelling, powerful, and persuasive they were.

But the same passage affirms that this 'feared' leader didn’t misuse their power. Instead, they unified Thedas to oppose a false god - and in doing so, gave people a purpose beyond politics. The memory of that moment, when the Inquisitor stood and with Thedas shouted “No!” as one against evil, remains so potent that Skyhold itself becomes a problem: too symbolic to destroy, too dangerous to leave untended.

And Sutherland’s company, are called in because they understand what Skyhold meant. They are described as “small enough to disappear” if things go wrong. And yet, they still go because they believed in what the Inquisition stood for, and in what the Inquisitor once gave them: purpose

4. They Were Good

This is perhaps the quietest consensus. These stories - by tone, memory, structure - don't seem to allow for an Inquisitor who was cruel or careless. No one speaks of them with bitterness or fear. The people who knew them speak with conviction, reverence, or quiet belief. Therefore the stories assume a certain kind of Inquisitor: decisive, compassionate, charismatic, inspiring and influential. They are the kind of leader whose agents are still willing to risk everything to stop Solas' destruction of the world.

Why would people continue to willingly follow a tyrant once the organization has been disbanded and their authority formally revoked? In Veilguard, Elgar’nan commands loyalty through fear, manipulation, and 'promises'. His followers are bound by illusion and threat. But the Inquisitor’s allies are different. They follow because they believe.

That kind of enduring loyalty reveals a leader character who is rooted in shared purpose, moral clarity, and integrity. The Inquisitor leads by example, not decree and their strength is revealed through these stories in that others are still following them, even when they’re no longer in power. It’s a quieter, steadier kind of authority, one that is still consistent in Veilguard - especially one that shines through in the atonement ending.

At least, that's my interpretation.

[perplexingly]

Taking Anders on every quest with you is so interesting cuz he was so clearly written to be a plot-driving force from the beginning -- besides the obvious act 3 and his introduction being part of the main quest, he also has the ability to save your sibling or Varric's brother, and with his strong opinions he also seems to comment on missions more than other companions (eg when he asks you not to report the blood magic to the templars in the keran quest)

I like that he was written like this, I think there's something fascinating in side characters having so much agency

[thelibrarian1895]

Something cute

So Thedas may or may not adhere to the western wedding tradition of wedding rings but there definitely seems to be a tradition of tokens of some sort being offered when it's going to be serious. (I am aware of two instances of rings being given, one from Nelaros to female city elf Tabris, and one from romanced Morrigan to HoF, other tokens between other couples included a pelt, a dragon's tooth split in half so the couple could each carry part of it, copper marigolds, a red sash and tiny shield with family emblem, a lucky coin, and complete heartbreak)

That being said, I like to imagine that those invested in the relationship between Lucanis and a Mourn Watch Rook must be going nuts.

Lucanis has his favorite blacksmith and I don't doubt that House Dellamorte has a favorite jeweler or a favorite goldsmith. Caterina gets a report from the goldsmith that Lucanis has commissioned a piece and the Dellamorte matriarch is certain that it's an engagement token.

Only it's not.

Caterina is polite enough to wait for Lucanis and Rook to announce the engagement themselves but nothing comes of it. Caterina knows the trinket has been delivered. She has a description of it and her agents have seen Rook wearing it.

Turns out the trinket is not, in fact, an engagement token. It is Lucanis giving Rook grave dowry whether because Rook's own pieces were taken in the aftermath of the War of the Banners, or sold as Rook tried to make their way before they met up with Varric, or Rook's grave gold is perfectly in tact but not a very big collection just yet and Lucanis is just adding more, he gave Rook the gold trinket because it can be a romantic gesture to add to the grave dowry of one's beloved.

Teia gets invested as well. I like to imagine that Teia has all the tea when it comes to every single House. It's both enjoyable and useful for her in case of any of the other Houses getting ideas.

Viago keeps track of all the gossip as well because he is paranoid and also enjoys it though he will not admit it to anyone except maybe Teia. He and Teia enjoy pretending he's not also invested for more than just keeping ahead of the other Houses and being on guard in case of another upset.

Both of them are also aware of anytime Lucanis goes to the goldsmith or jeweler. Both of them are also waiting for an engagement announcement.

Then Lucanis starts sporting distinctly not Antivan jewelry at meetings between Talons. Maybe a beetle shaped broach/locket, it's wings can be opened to reveal both a tiny portrait of Rook and a tiny bit of poison and turns out Rook has not given Lucanis an engagement token but instead Lucanis now has the start of his own grave dowry.

More and more trinkets commissioned and every time Caterina thinking that this time it's going to be the one. It might get to the point where she straight up commissions engagement tokens for the pair of them herself because she wants great grandbabies while she's still around to train them. (Quite possibly the knowledge of that is one of the several reasons why Rook and Lucanis are taking it very slow)

Ultimately they do exchange engagement tokens. Rook presents Lucanis with a knife made from dragon bone and a pair of vambraces made of dragon hide. Lucanis presents Rook with a new set of scalpels (commissioned from a Nevarran smith that Emmrich recommended) and a knitted blanket that Lucanis and Spite both made together. Or a dessert that Lucanis and Spite both make.

Or other tokens of your choice, I just think the idea of the Crows going nuts because of the slow burn is amusing.

[vigilskeep]

establishing lore about my new(ish) rook elodie thorne:

orlesian surface dwarf whose family have been topside for many generations. worships the stone and the ancestors, though i’m slowly cooking up some fun cultural differences as a surfacer compared to orzammar religion

she joined the wardens during the fifth blight, when the orlesian wardens went on a big recruitment drive thinking they were preparing for the long haul lmao

she was 16 at the time and lied abt her age to make sure they’d take her. her family had a lot of respect for the order and didn’t fully succeed in being angry w her because they were so proud

in her earliest years with the wardens she served with my dalish orlesian warden, mahvirhanin “mahvi” andras, and warden loghain mac tir, who gets transferred over to orlais in awakening if you recruited him in origins. aka the two grumpy old bastards that absolutely nobody orlesian wants to work with. 17-year-old elodie contributed 100% of the group’s total enthusiasm supplies

she was at adamant fighting against the inquisition. after being recruited for a blight that was ended without her, she was an easy target for the lie about a big heroic final push against the darkspawn. she bitterly regrets this, especially because her old friend loghain was the one left behind in the fade, and holds heavy grudges against both grey warden leadership and the venatori

varric spoke to her afterwards, and then leliana’s agents. she was a spy for the inquisition for the next decade, heading to weisshaupt and reporting on the first warden’s movements until she finally disobeyed orders to save lives

[pupkinpumpkin]

I love thinking about that one war table operation in The Frostback Basin called A Cultured Exchange where you recruit that one lady named Sigrid Gulsdotten who has a spirit best friend possessing her bc

1) Inquisition diversity, we love to see it

2) Leads to a stronger alliance with the Avvar and a better understanding of their culture, we love to see it

3) Its probably the war operation where Cullen is the most against it, and I don't mean that in a "haha fuck Cullen" way; I actively romance Cullen any chance I get so thats definitely not what I mean when I say that but no, I love thinking of the implications

Like, despite a cultural exchange being a very good thing for the Inquisition, Cullen's gonna fight tooth and nail for Sigrid to be watched and monitored bc ya know, he still gets nightmares about what happened in Kinloch Hold and now he's watching the Inquisitor accept an abomination with Open Arms (iykyk)

That's gonna freak him the fuck out and lead to some arguments at the war table, which is FASCINATING if Cullen and the Inquisitor are together

Give me the arguments! Give me the angst! Give me Cullen honestly feeling a bit betrayed bc he's opened up so much about what he's been through and now he finds out via a hidden note on a report that the love of his life just accepted an abomination into the Inquisition and hid it in a report instead of sending him a personal letter (which my Inky does often) warning him ahead of time

I've thought about this one mission so much

Like, Cullen and my Lavellan are actively arguing in front of Leliana and Josephine and they're trying to keep it professional but it's clear that the reason behind this argument is a lot more personal than either one is willing to say and MMMM THE ANGST

They eventually go into a separate room, argue it out some more, lay down the exact personal reasons behind this argument, eventually apologize to each other, and make a compromise where Cole, Varric, and Cassandra are sent to watch Sigrid during the cultural exchange Josie sets up and update Cullen specifically about the event

Cole's able to feel any negative vibes, Cassandra is a Seeker trained to deal with mages, and Varric is there for emotional support for Cole since he's more human now and might get overwhelmed with so many people seeing him and also him feeling their feelings. Varric's also just there for the fun of the event and to sell his book. Cassandra's in charge of writing the reports though

But ya, this operation has so much potential to me

[saltyowlets]

Companion!Cullen Fake Banter pt2

Cullen: Tell me, Solas, how have you managed to avoid detection from the Order for so long? I would have thought someone would have reported you by now.

Solas: Ha, is that what you believe? That the people have shallower inclinations such as yours?

Cullen: Shallower? I am only repeating the fears people rightly have towards apostates.

Solas: You may not be as aware of the people as you think, ex Knight Captain. As much as the people may be afraid of magic, many are more sensible and are aware of the benefits it brings. The down trotted are less inclined to rid themselves of an apostate who has helped them more than the Chantry can. Why chain a healer when the Chantry has not provided not even a bottle of poultice?

Cullen: I do not disagree with that.

------

Cullen: Sera, where did you put my- *cough* tonics

Sera: *cackling* Oh, you mean the smelly whatchamacallits that you dump on the noggin?

Cullen: *sighs* Just give them back.

Sera: Oh, I'll give them back.

Cullen: Without tampering them.

Sera: *cackling*

Cullen: *grumbles* Oh, forget it

-------

Bull: So what with you and the boss? Is it a kind of ritual or something you Fereldans do?

Cullen: What do you- isn't she from the Free Marches?

Bull: Eh, same difference to me. So what is it? You both like getting all uptight and angry before you get down and dirty?

Cullen: ANDRASTE PRESERVE ME!

Medea: Creator's, BULL!!

Bull: Oh, so that's a no. Well, if you need some rope or some binding, I got these-

Cullen: Another word, and I will ram this sword through your other eye, Maker willing.

-------

Cullen: Maker, I expected the apostates to run amok after the explosion, but this? Rogue templars? What has the Order become?

Varric: Hate to break it to you, Curly, but it's always been like this.

Cullen: You can be serious. Even before the Blight, the Fereldan Order maintained its utmost dignity.

Varric: Then tell me this, why did you think Uldred turned that Circle upside down? He didn't wake up one day thinking 'hey let's play around with blood magic' If there's one thing I know, people act at their last when cornered. When people are afraid, they will do whatever means to rid of themselves of that fear. You of all people should know that.

Cullen: What's that supposed to mean?

Varric: You know what I mean, Cullen.

[Pt1]

[inquisimer]

Arlow and Viago “can you hear my cry, an old lullaby drifting through the sky?” >:]

HELLO MY LOVE I am kissing you on the lips, I put that one on the list and was like "this is an arlow & viago prompt", thank you for reading my mind

Arlow de Riva & Viago | 808 words | for @dadrunkwriting - da4 spoilers, Viago ruminates (regrets?) Arlow's absence from Antiva

-

Viago missed Salle.

Not that the accommodations in Treviso were lacking—his apartments here were more than sufficient. But they were suffocating without Arlow there to fill the empty spaces where she usually was. He wished things were such that he could lock the door and flee to his villa in Salle.

But the Antaam remained. And he had no right to be missing Arlow, when he was the one who sent her away.

As she deserved, he reminded himself. If she had simply thought before launching herself at those Antaam, they would never have been in this situation. Yet, the ache in his throat remained.

Treviso’s skyline was bathed in the pink and orange hues of sunset. From the balcony, it was easy to imagine that the city was still theirs, and that Arlow would be tripping off a zip line any moment, reporting in on this contract or that surveillance. Smirking and insufferable, but alive and there.

“You’re brooding again.”

A Qunari war horn blasted Viago’s reminiscence to pieces. His fingers tightened on the railing. “I’m always brooding. You like it.”

Teia’s bare feet padded softly against the slats and Viago wrinkled his nose. Off the top of his head, there were half a dozen poisons easily concealed in wood stain and best absorbed through the skin. But she didn’t care about that—or, at least, she knew that he had the antidote for any toxin that could touch her only a whisper away.

“it is not half so attractive when you are truly troubled,” she murmured, propping herself as close to his side as she could without touching him. Her hair fell loose and unruly over the collar of his shirt. But even that only just hitched the melancholy tune of his thoughts. “You miss her.”

Viago huffed. “She is the most competent assassin in my House and we are under an occupation. It is like being without my best blades.”

“Do not pretend she is nothing more than a weapon to you,” Teia chided. “Lie to yourself, if you must, but do not lie to me.”

Viago’s nostrils flared, as they always did when Teia saw straight though him. He was learning to trust the tightrope she asked him to walk, but after a lifetime without a net, it was a hesitant process. Luckily for him, she had a penchant for hard cases.

“I have never sent her off for so long, nor so harshly,” he admitted. “And I do not know when she will return. It is… difficult.”

“You could know,” Teia suggested. “You could summon her back.”

“She has a contract.”

“And how will she know if she’s allowed to report in on it if you do not tell her that Antiva is open to her again?”

“You read my letter?” Viago raised a brow, but Teia’s smirk was unabashed. She shrugged and his gaze followed the fluid motion of her exposed collarbone.

“I wouldn’t have recommended leading with ‘idiot’, but she’s probably used to it.”

“If she wasn’t such an idiot all the time, she wouldn’t be,” Viago muttered. He looked down into the murky canal below and frowned. “She did not write back.”

Teia laughed, which only deepened his scowl. “Did you expect her to?”

“If the job was done, yes,” he snipped. “But it has been months.”

“And you sent her on an open-ended contract. I’m sure if anything drastic happened, Varric would write. That is why you hooked her up with him, no?”

Viago pursed his lips. “He has a track record of pulling asses out of fires. But I am not confident in his definition of drastic.”

“He is perfectly competent, as you well know. You’ve never let your conscience get in the way of logic before, don’t start now.” Teia laid her hand out, palm up on the railing. After a beat, Viago laced his gloved fingers with hers and she squeezed.

“If you want her back, Vi, you will have to face the other Talons and tell them so. Tell her so, in no uncertain terms. This is the corner you have painted yourself into.”

Viago glowered at the neighboring building. He hated few things as much as he hated Teia being right in a way that grated on his nerves. She could have at least done him the courtesy of acknowledging that he was not the only party at fault in this scenario.

“She will tell me when the job is done,” he said stubbornly. “When the job is done, and her lesson is learned, then we will bring her home.”

Teia sighed and shook her head. The sun slipped below the horizon and a familiar cloak of darkness covered them both. Covered Arlow, too, in the east. In Tevinter.

His throat tightened. Use it well, he thought. Use it well, and come home.

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜 DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Kala has heard rumors that there may be merch pins coming of Assan and Manfred [source]

(Previous comment for context - Dev Brenon: "You can sprint, there is also a dash/dodge move you can do for short range mobility - though I don't tend to use that much when exploring.") A user asked on this, "Will it be a push-to-sprint key, a sprint toggle, or other (to be explained later)?". Brenon replied with some more detail on this feature: "Right now it's a pseudo-toggle, you press it once (while moving) to start sprinting and then as long as you keep moving you keep sprinting. If you let got of the movement controls, you stop sprinting." [source: the official BioWare Discord]

User: "if a choice i made 30 hours ago affects me.. best believe im restarting the whole game". Brenon: "Uh oh''. User: "UH OH???". Brenon: "I mean... we do have "decision saves" before big choice moments, but there are still a bunch that depend on a whole mess of stuff you've done earlier... so... yeah... RIP :P" [source: the official BioWare Discord]

They hope to get a bunch more BioWare-themed emojis for the Discord [source: the official BioWare Discord]

Trick Weekes has been signing DA:TV stuff with "with love and appreciation for your patience" [source]

Carly: "theres so much id love to say, but i unfortunately can't , that being said, i hear y'all and love working on a game for such passionate people and hope y'all enjoy when it does come out 💕" [source]

Actor signing attendees report that it was amazing and that we're in good hands with this acting cast. You can see more photos from it here [source].

Dev signing attendees report that it was packed. You can see another photo from it here [source]. and here is a photo of the sign from it [source]

Another photo of the booth [source]. Sometimes at the booth the devs had a Solas statue [source] (this is done by Dark Horse). I think Dark were also displaying somewhere a Varric and a Cassandra statue too, and I think these were the ones that Dark Horse do too (Varric, Cass), but I can't find the image or video where I originally saw this anymore, sorry >.<

The companion tarot-style art from the website was shown on the big screen at the acting panel [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee: John Epler said that this is the best group of companions written because of their relationships with each other, not just Rook. They can become friends, lovers, rivals with each other. Zach thought that Lucanis was the coolest character he gets to play. It sounds like he mentioned Illario [I'm assuming] by name. Lucanis is quick-witted. Neve is a bit of a romantic. Jessica found voice acting freeing as it felt like playing pretend when she was little. In her role, she felt like she could embrace being very powerful. Neve is passionate. On Emmrich, "wisdom, calm to group, warm-hearted, loves learning". Emmrich has some fantastic lines. Along with working with Varric to track down Solas, Harding has also been working with Rook and Neve. Ali talked a lot about how much collaboration there is between BioWare, the actors and the material they're given to work with. Harding has been through some things and has more of an edge to her, but they can't talk about it! [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Jessica Clark: "A lot of the time, we kind've really all bonded in the way that we were intended to, you know? And that's why we've been so excited all week and all weekend, because we can be like 'oh my god you're here', 'oh my god you're here, you're here, you're here', finally, you know? You know, I know on a lot of projects people are like 'oh yeah, we're all like, we love each other', but we really do, we really really do, and it just evolved so organically, and there was something magical about it just being our voices in the beginning, you know, like, sort've taking anything else out of the [equation.]" [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Nick Boraine: "I think I've been preparing for Emmrich all my life. I was very attracted to the role initially, and I was so, I was so, I was overjoyed when I got it, because I think it was, the writing of Emmrich is really fascinating, it's this, this man that is obsessed with death, on one hand, but on death as a comfort, death as a transition, death as something that is not scary, and that, that ability to enable people to transition and the investment that he gives in that sphere, which we don't give in our own lives. I was immediately attracted to that and I thought that that was, I'd never seen that before, so to go in these two ways, to talk about death and to talk about it in a way that is kind, and that the transition becomes a kind transition, that was fascinating to me, and I think, will be fascinating to you too." [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Zach Mendez: "[before they started shooting] I did kinda get an idea about how passionate the fanbase was, which made me really excited. I don't wanna say nervous, because I don't say I'm nervous, I say I'm excited. And so, before the first day of shoot, I was very excited. And luckily, you know, Ashley and them, didn't have me do too much on the first day. I played a lot of darkspawn. I darkspawn-ed my ass off, though. I want you guys to know, I really. And when I got home, I thought to myself, 'Zach, did you darkspawn hard enough?' I was just worried. You know, and within an hour I got texts from Jeff, who's a part of this cast as well, and G, telling me what a great job I did, and then I'll never forget, I got a call from Ali Hillis down here, and I'll remember that conversation, because for thirty minutes she made me feel like I was welcome in the Dragon Age family, and it gave me so much confidence moving forwards. So thank you, Ali, so much, I still remember that." [source]

[Character limit text break!]

Varric and Manfred: "not romanceable" [source] ?

Neve mostly eats deep-fried fish [source], it makes up the bulk of her diet [source]

Bellara loves pan-fried fish [source]

John on SDCC: "thank you to everyone who came out to the signing. thank you to everyone who came out to the panel. thank you to everyone who said hi, swung by the booth, or otherwise expressed how excited you were about the game. absolutely amazing experience. was wonderful to see you all" [source]

There's a lot of lovely concept art for DA:TV [source]

Trick Weekes: "One of the things I was proudest of was inviting leads from other teams/departments into writing peer reviews and having them later say, "Wow, those critiques went deep, but everyone stayed professional and compassionate the whole time." My junior-most writer knew she could tell me I was wrong." [source]

Violet: "As we get closer to DATV, I just want to send out a reminder Var lath vir suledin 😭" [source]

Derek on the casting department: "They really did an incredible job! Every single one of these folks deliver such amazing performances." [source]

Derek: "a lot of great talent doing awesome stuff from KY nowadays. I count myself extremely lucky that I can work on such an amazing project with such a wonderful team straight from my home state!" [source]

Michael Gamble: "i know a few people on the DA team, and i want them to have a nice time." [source]

User, on the recent word count news: "Sooooo , when will I (we) get to hear all these words". Michael: "hopefully when the game is out." [source]

User, on the news of no microtransactions: "This is great news that I hope survives past the review period". Michael: "it will" [source]

User: "What class have you been playing as in DAV mostly?" Michael: "mage. i light everything up. everything." [source]

DAMP / multiplayer mode is not returning [source]

Ghil: "Im very sorry for the teasing tweet but to be very real, i really miss playing veilguard and to stop THERE and have to wait over a year is killing me tbh. Im bothered. My crops are dying. I am withering. I want to know what happens" [source]

A user asked a question around if there are dialogue options and choices available in the game that indicate a mixed or less favorable positive perspective on Solas. Bria, a Councilmember, shared: "As an Egg Cracker, I was pretty satisfied with what we saw. I don’t want to go into spoilers but I was able to play my Rook the way I wanted when it came to the Sad Egg Man." [source]

User: "would you be able to tell us if you can change your perspective while in a fight? Those circles we saw on the video were kind of hard to see from that angle". Ghil: "Like a bit- no promises but they told us a lot of stuff like that would be in an accessibility feature. I get pretty motion sick so I remember talking about backing it up a bit." [source]

Kala: "The amount of gasping, screaming, @/ElbenherzArt having to lay on the floor, @/hattedhedgehog and @/chaosbria having to stand up from excitement and us just being in shock the whole time. Yeah 🔟 😎" [source]

Kala shared that there are moments in the game that she knows people will freak out about [source], that in terms of marketing, she knows that the devs have more things planned [source], and that she found Bellara endearing, despite not usually vibing with optimistic and energetic characters [source]

Kala shared that she feels that the Lighthouse is way cooler than Skyhold [source]

Also, in early May 2024 Zach appeared on a podcast:

Zach: "I'm very excited because it looks like at the end of this year, the video game that I've been working on for about three or so years is gonna come out, and I'm really excited for that. I'm gonna come back on and I'm gonna promote that, you guys, you will have no choice, I'm coming back on." Host: "Does the video game feature dicks?" Zach: "I can't say too much about it, but it, it doesn't ignore dicks, you know what I mean? It doesn't, you know what, there might be, yeah, there's, it's a sexy video game, it's a hot video game." Host: "So are you a character?" Zach: "I'm a character in the video game." --- Zach: "I'm gonna come back on to promote the hell out of that, because I'm really excited about that. I'm still working on that, and that's been, like, I'm super grateful for that, because that's been going on for like three years and it's been consistent work." --- Zach: "I'm super excited about it [...]" "Other people help you make really amazing things, when humans get together they make pretty stuff, and this game looks amazing"

[source (acting career segment. source link isn't work-appropriate. I don't recommend the podcast)]

[curioussubjects]

are y'all telling me solas not only accidentally gets trapped in his own god jail due to scaffolding bamboozling, but the people behind said bamboozling repo his fade-pocket house??

and he ends up having to help this ragtag group of people if he's to ever get out of his god jail and also stop the gods he fucked around and found out with?

the same people who are indirectly-directly working for the inquisition

the inquisition which has been chasing him for 10 years to stop him from causing an extinction event (again)

the same inquisition that's led by his ex-girlfriend?

somewhere out there lavellan is laughing her ass off reading varric's report