While Rook was trapped in the Regret Prison for weeks, do we think that Lucanis prepared himself a cup of coffee one evening and just stared into the brew for a long time? Remembering the first time he flirted with Rook, comparing that blend to a kiss goodbye. His drink getting cold in his hands. Bitterly thinking that he didn't even get that.
I think romancing Lucanis as a crow is specifically fun bc like.
Imagine you're one of the other talons. Some whelp fucks up a mission to get rid of the antaam, and yet for some reason Viago doesn't kill them (you know he has a soft spot for that crow, his little protege, but you don't mention it. They're out of the way, that's all that matters right now). You go on with your life.
The First Talon dies. You and the other talons gather to watch one of her grandchildren take her place (you never did think Illario would end up in her shoes. He somehow managed to prove you wrong). Suddenly this Crow who fucked up that one job busts in with Lucanis "demon of Vyrantium" dellamorte with them. The two of them take down Illario (they work together so smoothly, like they've done it all their lives. Lucanis threatens to kill Illario over hurting them. You hear Teia cheering them on. You're too busy killing venatori to think about it). Afterwards, the previous first talon whom you thought was DEAD walks in, and names Lucanis first talon. Instead of making his own decision on what to do with his cousin, Lucanis asks the de riva crow what he needs to do?? And listens to what they have to say??
Okay weird. It's whatever, maybe they have good advice (you doubt it. They REALLY fucked up that job). You later find out that Lucanis took a job for them, and you explain his weird behavior away with that. You move on with your life.
Fast forward a few months, Lucanis Dellamorte has killed a god. So has Rook de Riva, the little shit who fucked up the job??? They also possibly killed/tricked/convinced ANOTHER god?
At some gathering of the talons you make a joke about someone needing to assassinate them before their ego gets too big. Suddenly you have not one, but THREE talons threatening to take you out. Viago and Teia you can kind of understand, but Lucanis??? This is where you find out that APPARENTLY Lucanis and rook are a thing. You just threatened the first talon's partner TO HIS FACE.
This random little asshole from house de Riva has THREE different talons wrapped around their finger. Do you know how jarring that has to be for the other talons??? It's so funny to me idk. Rook de Riva and their murder of talons
Feeling as though Rook is secondary to Neve? You shouldn’t, not really at least because Rook is irreplaceable for the same reasons people are holding animosity towards Neve.
‘Neve gets him without doing any of the hard work.’ Rook is the only person alive who could even be able to. That’s the whole point.
Saving Minrathous results in the Inner Demons quest never happening.
Meaning an unhealed Lucanis never makes peace with Spite.
Meaning he goes on to enter a relationship with a woman (to no fault of her own) who could never, and would never, force him to face his fears and give him the unyielding encouragement needed to live without compartmentalizing every important thing to ever happen to him.
Without Rook completing that quest— Lucanis remains chained down by his debilitating fear of disappointing Caterina, the shame of being made into an abomination against his will, the guilt of being the one who got off easier than Neve and the pain and anger Illario’s betrayal brought onto him.
“Thoughts live here. Ideas. Feelings.” Disappointment. Shame. Guilt. Betrayal. All of which Lucanis felt were too big, too messy to face.
Solavellan is Rookanis’ foil. Except Rook is if Lavellan had succeeded in persuading Solas to face his regrets.
And what was the crux of the replacement Fade prison Solas crafted for the Evanuris? It was a prison built on regret, and the only way to leave would be to face them. Which Ghilan’nan and Elgar’nan would never be able to do.
Spite says “Lucanis is here. Behind locked doors. I can’t break through.” But Rook can.
In his mind’s eye, Lucanis makes Caterina, Harding, Neve and Illario his jailers of negative emotions in a prison of his own creation.
And in all that inner turmoil, his idea of Illario says, “Rook, you’re too good to be here.”
Rook isn’t one of his jailers, not because they don’t matter enough compared to the others, but because Lucanis’ thoughts, ideas and feelings for Rook are too good.
Rook opens doors, they’re not a jailer who throws away the key. In Lucanis and Spite’s eyes, Rook is the key. They are a liberator, a hero, the only one he’ll listen to.
Love, understanding, the unwavering promise of companionship (platonic or romantic) despite the risk to themselves sets Lucanis free.
I’ve seen people who are disappointed in his storyline complain that it feels as though ‘Rook strong arms him into a committed relationship’ that he somehow ‘feels obligated to indulge’ and engage in as a result of saving Treviso. I believe these claims just end up ignoring the really good diamonds in the rough we’re given in terms of Rookanis relationship development.
A romanced!Lucanis gives way to lines like “I don’t know what Rook sees in me. I’m happy to just be around them.”
And paralleling scenes like when Caterina chastises a kneeling Illario with “A Dellamorte never kneels.” Only for Lucanis to later walk over to a post-Fade trapped Rook and literally kneel at their feet like they’re the only deity he cares to worship like this is Take Me To Church by Hozier.
And what is Rookanis as a ship, if not Rook teaching him it’s okay to assert himself, which leads to Lucanis reclaiming his humanity through an act of love? Just saying. Given time, and love, he turns into a Gomez Addams sort of romantic figure.
If Rook were associated as any feeling to Lucanis then they’d be love. Affection. A state of understanding. Purpose? Freedom?
Better yet, Rook could be determination. After all, Rook’s defining characteristic is that they ‘just can’t seem to quit’— in the face of the man they care about saying ‘give up on me, i’m damaged goods’ why wouldn’t they win him over in the end?
yes tarquin is trans. during taash's questline you will get a codex entry explicitly confirming it. personally i also caught on from the comment about his father forcing him into the military though haha
playing through isle of the gods for the 5th time and just
every time i’ve played this the way he says ‘there are things i would have of you, rook. draw closer… you will find out what they are’ just sends shivers down my spine.
he’s so infatuated with them.
they’re just this normal person and yet they are disrupting everything. he’s fascinated. he’s enraged. he’s obsessed.
playing through isle of the gods for the 5th time and just
every time i’ve played this the way he says ‘there are things i would have of you, rook. draw closer… you will find out what they are’ just sends shivers down my spine.
he’s so infatuated with them.
they’re just this normal person and yet they are disrupting everything. he’s fascinated. he’s enraged. he’s obsessed.
Before Veilguard's release I was theorizing the Veilguard companion characters might have been designed to be parallels to the known Evanuris, but I couldn't place all of them.
Now that I've played the game (almost twice) I think I've figured them all out.
Rook - Elgar'nan, the leader. Controller of light and dark. The one who influences the others.
Neve - Mythal, who can be a fierce protector or a source of inspiration and hope.
Harding - Andruil, the hunter, who went mad from the Void and had to fight her way back
Bellara - June, the inventor. Master of magical artifact.
Lucanis - Dirthamen, keeper of secrets, who mastered the twin ravens of Fear and Deceit, and returned from death.
Davrin - Ghilan'nain, Master of Monsters, Keeper of Halla.
Emmrich - Falon'Din, the necromancer. Friend of the dead.
Taash - Sylaise, who's fire cannot be quenched.
Which leaves Solas to play the role he always has - Fen'Harel, the trickster and betrayer, who could ally with them, if only they will listen to his advice and try to protect their world as best as they can.
Pardon me for reblogging myself. I was completing a companion quest when I realized that every single companion quest deals with the companions defeating a corrupted version of themselves.
We are literally watching the Evanuris battle their demons.
Aelia (Neve) - A blood mage who "protects" her city via blood magic, fear, and propaganda.
Shade (Harding) - A shade of herself made of wrath and anger.
Cyrian (Bellara) - A master of magical artifacts easily corrupted by the emotions of a tyrant
Illario (Lucanis) - An assassin who uses secrets to deceive and gain power.
Isseya (Davrin) - A Grey Warden corrupted by Blight who made monsters of her wards, the griffons.
Johanna (Emmrich) - a necromancer who despises Spirits and the deceased and sees them only as tools.
Dragon King (Taash) - an adaari who wants to use his fire breath to rule others
Elgar'nan (Rook) - the final battle with the last standing god, who caused the corruption of all the others
