Sometimes the smallest choices can change everything.
Varric’s decision to hire a blood mage to stop Solas was one of them.
This is the story of a Rook who isn’t quite what anyone expected. Morally gray and socially awkward, she has little interest in making friends. Enter an Antivan Crow, suspicious of her from the start, and suddenly her plans begin to unravel, threatening more than just her secrecy.
This is also the story of Lucanis Dellamorte, an assassin turned abomination, the last thing he wants is to work alongside the very kind of mage he once hunted. Enter his personal bane, who’s somehow the most tolerant person he’s ever known, and now he isn’t so sure if he should trust his instincts or his morals.
“You know,” she said, voice low as she raised her hand to gently brush the ridge of the dagger. “I don’t normally use other people's blood in my spells, but I do use my own. So if you’re ever going to try and kill me—” her fingers drifted to skim the blade’s edge, just shy of drawing blood, and Lucanis pulled back with a grunt. “—make sure to do it in one clean move. Or otherwise, without blood involved.”
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✉︎ Chapters:
→ [Chapter 1] - Always be Careful with Your Blood
→ [Chapter 2] - A Rook Between Crows
→ [Chapter 3] - No Debts Owed
→ [Chapter 4] - Softened Edges
→ [Chapter 5] - What’s a City Worth?
→ [Chapter 6] - Having Each Other’s Backs
→ [Chapter 7] - The Manor
→ [Chapter 8] - New Additions
→ [Chapter 9] - Just a Step Closer
→ [Chapter 10] - Of Jealousy and Resentment
→ [Chapter 11] - Winds of Change
→ [Chapter 12] - Shadows over Us
→ [Chapter 13] - A Friend's Advice
→ [Chapter 14] - Walking the Edge
→ [Chapter 15] - The Consequences of Our Actions
→ [Chapter 16] - When the Past Comes Back to You
→ [Chapter 17] - Team Matchmaker
→ [Chapter 18] - Playing with Fire
→ [Chapter 19] - Cards on the Table
→ [Chapter 20] - Unmoored
→ [Chapter 21] - Freefall
→ [Chapter 22] - The Novelty of Trust
→ [Chapter 23] - A Perfect Foil
→ [Chapter 24] - Loose Ends
→ [Chapter 25] - Hypocrisy at Its Finest
→ [Chapter 26] - Hope Unbound
✂︎ Sneak Peeks:
→ [Rook is bad at feelings]
✒︎ Other:
→ My shitty cover art: [Here]
→ A bit about my characters: [Here]
→ Oc Core ft. Rook, Arethas & Markos [Here]
→ Rook's Bingo: [Here]
→ Describe Your Rook in 3 Fictional Characters: [Here]
→ Canon Sources & Inspiration: [Here]
⏭︎ More info:
MC
A completely original background for Rook: she's a blood mage from Tevinter.
Very morally grey, a “the end justifies the means” type of person, but still tries to do the right thing first.
Socially awkward. Not shy, just oblivious to social cues because of her upbringing.
Has her own “companion quest”.
Romance
Slow burn (but not as slow as in the game).
Enemies (briefly) to friends to lovers.
Lots of pining (seriously, a lot).
Tons of chemistry,
He falls first, she falls harder.
Rook’s Spite favorite.
Light spice (the eventual smut will be skippable).
Others
Rook isn't the leader.
Varric is alive (with mentions of Varric/F!Hawke).
I am painfully sick right now and seeing that you updated your fic honestly was the highlight of my week. Thank you 🥲
Aww, so sorry to hear that :( It’s not the most uplifting chapter, but I hope it helped distract you a little, and that you feel better soon! Sending some strength your way (੭ ˊ^ˋ)੭ ✨ and here’s a pretty Lucanis for a lil’ extra push! ♥️🫂
“I've changed, too,” the spirit said. “I’m Spite now. But I wasn't before. And you weren't Rook. I forgot for a while, but then I remembered. Names blur when the essence is twisted.”
She looked at him sadly.
“I'm sorry you had to go through that.”
Her change of identity couldn’t be compared to the change in his very being that Spite had suffered through. Twisted from his purpose, thrown into a body of mortal flesh that didn’t even belong to him. Zara’s death had been too quick for what she deserved.
However, Spite shook his head.
“Don't be. I have you,” he said, so naturally, so effortlessly. Rook envied how easy it was for spirits to simply speak what was on their mind without fear. “You’ve always been my favorite.”
She swallowed, feeling slightly overwhelmed by his affection.
“Don’t let Lucanis hear that. He might get jealous,” she joked, incapable of processing such sentimental matters in any other way.
Spite wrinkled his nose in displeasure. Then he closed his eyes, and when he looked back up again, the glowing purple had been replaced by warm brown.
“Did I hear that right?” Lucanis asked, an eyebrow raised.
Rook opened her mouth, dumbstruck, then closed it again and pouted.
“Spite!” she complained.
Lucanis’ lips twitched in amusement.
“Should I be jealous, then?” he taunted.
“What? N-no! That's not—”
“I'm kidding,” he said, his gaze soft as he brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Can't blame Spite for feeling that way when you're quite irresistible. He and I have that in common. You're my favorite too.”
Rook averted her eyes, fighting off a blush. Sometimes Lucanis was too charming for her own good.
She cleared her throat.
“I'm sorry we woke you up. You should be resting for tomorrow.”
“As should you. You’re sleeping less these days to read to him,” he said. “Come. Spite can survive a night without you.”
Lucanis tugged her down under the covers, barely giving her time to set the parchments on her side table before he wrapped her in his arms. She settled against his chest, breathing in the warm smell that characterized him.
“Are you sure he can? I’m his favorite, after all,” she replied, the amusement curving her lips now that the embarrassment had faded.
“He can fight me for it if he disagrees.”
“I'm not sure you should be giving him ideas.”
Lucanis snorted. “Probably not. But I'll live.”
“If he gives you too much trouble…”
“He won't. He always listens to you,” Lucanis said. “We always listen to you.”
And she felt so undeserving of that, that if she thought too much about it, her instinct to flee would kick in.
So she didn't.
I don't know how you managed to make the other Crows discovering Lucanis is possessed to be equal parts a hilarious moment and an "oh, ****" moment. Also, because of the way it happened, I like to imagine that means Lucanis is getting used to working with Spite to the point where it's just normal for him. If I may ask, how did you come to the decision that Spite was initially kept a secret from the other Crows?
Yup! I've tried to show a progression in Lucanis’ trust toward Spite, without the obvious deal he makes with him in the game during Inner Demons (since in my version of that quest he doesn't make one). He still has a bit to go, but working with Spite does come naturally to him by now, especially when fighting next to Rook ;)
About why I decided it was a secret… It’s because in the game, afaik, it wasn’t clear when or why the other Crows found out about it, and here Illario isn't using that information to turn everyone against Lucanis either, so I thought it made sense for the Crows not to know. Lucanis hasn't told anyone, Illario hasn't either, and they're being secretive about everything that happened with Zara. It's the consequence of changing Bloodbath, Inner Demons, and skipping A Murder of Crows altogether 😂
Absolutely no pressure, but please know that if you ever wrote anything about Illario taking out Loukas, I would totally read it.
Really? Funnily enough, I did have a couple of ideas for some side stories, but I didn't think there would be much interest in that kind of thing. (For example, I thought about writing some scenes from the first few weeks, when Lucanis was still suspicious of Rook and constantly watching her.)
Maybe once I finish everything I'll consider writing something 🤔 I don't want to risk getting derailed this close to the end. I already feel bad making you all wait instead of updating every week like before 🥲
I am so glad that you are committing to the "Everyone Lives" part with even the non-companion characters. Also, that you are USING the fact that these characters are alive as part of how you are writing the story, both in big and small ways (for example: Rook having some FEELINGS over seeing Taash and their mother). Bravo!
Hahaha yup! I know Dragon Age is quite dark, and not being able to save everyone is part of what gives a story realism, but I did say this was completely self-indulgent, so when I decided to go the “Everyone Lives” route… I went all in 😂
I thought about exploring those side quests a bit more, but it's difficult to find a balance between developing side plots and dragging the story out too much. And since it's the first time I've written a fanfic this long, I preferred to err on the shorter side rather than risk slowing the pacing.
All this to say 😂 Rook does have very conflicting feelings regarding Taash and Shathann (and Rivain too), but so far almost every instance of that struggle had been from Lucanis’ POV, so I haven’t explored it as much as I probably should have.
Hey, I'm just going to start happy crying over the idea of Arethas showing Lucanis and Illario what it's like to have a guardian/parental figure that you AREN'T afraid of. Thank you. 🥲
I couldn't resist making Arethas a Papa Bear who adopts any strays that come his way 😂 He took one look at Lucanis and said, “Yep, another traumatized stray for the family,” and then he met Illario and realized it was a 2x1 package deal 🤣 (Kinda 3x1 if you count Spite? lol)
I really wanted the cousins to know what it's like to be accepted without judgment, expectations, or having to prove their worth, just because they've been good to Rook, and that's enough for Arethas. And even though I don't write from his POV, I imagine Illario especially appreciates being treated like that after being considered the lesser Dellamorte his whole life.
“Just the two of us?” Lucanis asked, immediately straightening.
Rook’s lips twitched. “Unless you want to invite someone else?” she joked.
“No,” he said, tone serious. And then, leaning to whisper in her ear, “I’ve been dying to have you all for myself.”
Hearing that, his breath caressing her skin with each word, she had to suppress a shiver.
“Lucanis,” she complained, very much aware of all the eyes at her back.
He had the gall to chuckle. It seemed Lucanis had noticed the effect that voice had on her.
Rook glared at him without any real heat, and huffed. “I’ll take my things.”
She had a plan for what she wanted to do in Treviso, and with well-practiced nonchalance, she told Lucanis as much as they crossed the Eluvian into the Cantori Diamond.
“How about we go to Café Pietra? The sun sets in that direction, right? Their terrace must have a beautiful view of the sunset,” she proposed, feigning ignorance. “And then we could get some churros and—”
However, it wasn’t meant to be, because the moment they stepped into view of the Talons, Viago called out to them.
“Rook, we were about to send a message,” he said. By his side, Teia stood with her arms crossed, a frown on her face as she looked at whom Rook recognized as the Governor.
She resisted the urge to sigh.
“What’s the matter?”
“We have a contact who offers access to the Butcher and information on the gods,” Viago answered.
Rook tilted her head. “That sounds too good to be true. Are you going to meet them?”
“They asked for you.”
Right. Of course they did.
Lucanis watched as Rook shifted restlessly on her couch. He was getting ready to go out with the team to keep helping their allies, trying to make sure that they would be ready when the inevitable final confrontation with the gods came.
Since she’d gotten hurt, the eight of them had mostly stayed together, only going their own ways when the plan was obviously and undoubtedly low risk. It was the wake-up call they all needed, the stark proof of what could happen if they tried to tackle more than they should. Until now, Rook had seemed like a winning hand at Wicked Grace, one no one could beat except the most skilled players. Her self-assurance had been contagious, but if not even she was free from a misstep…
Rook didn’t seem to be aware of how close she’d come to dying. And if she was, she didn’t care.
It was infuriating.
If Lucanis could, he'd keep her confined until the gods were dead, safe and away from any harm. That moment when Rook had lost consciousness in his arms — her body too cold, her heartbeat almost nonexistent — haunted his nightmares.
Nightmares that Spite had been trying to devour for him, but that always returned with renewed intensity.
They had started to replace the memories of the Ossuary.
“Varric said that the Inquisitor wants to talk to you again,” Lucanis commented, trying to distract himself from his spiraling thoughts. Rook immediately made a move to get up, but she stopped when she saw his scowl. “Not now. We’ll go once Emmrich has confirmed that you’re healed.”
She sighed defeatedly. “I'm not made of glass, you know. I can walk. Surely a simple talk in the Cobbled Swan—”
She didn't get to finish her sentence. Taash rushed into the room with frantic eyes.
“We need to go. They have my mother.”
Lucanis frankly didn’t care much about the whole discussion beyond what weaknesses they could use against the Dread Wolf. And so far, they didn’t have much. Solas’ memories, while groundbreaking, didn’t offer much insight into what could be done to stop him.
“This is not enough,” he said, arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. “What are we going to do with this information? Guilt-trip him into surrendering? That didn’t work for Varric or the Inquisitor. Rook’s tied to that bastard. We need a backup plan for when he inevitably stabs her in the back.”
The team exchanged glances. It was Emmrich who spoke first.
“Perhaps there’s a possibility of tricking him. Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain need an eclipse to craft their own dagger to sunder the Veil. If Solas somehow manages to escape his prison—”
“ —He’ll try to retrieve his dagger, for lack of a better option,” Neve concluded, bringing out the lyrium dagger for all to see. “What do you suggest? A decoy?”
“Would that even be possible? The magic at work here…” Harding wondered.
“It won’t be easy,” Bellara said, shifting closer to look at the blade in Neve’s hand. “But… maybe. Maybe we could do it. What do you think, Professor?”
Emmrich moved to inspect the dagger too, his eyes adopting a clinical glint. “It’ll take weeks, but I believe it could be doable, with your expertise in ancient elven magic and some powerful materials.”
“We could consult Dagna, too. Do you think we could get in contact with her, Varric?” Harding asked her fellow dwarf.
As the conversation shifted toward the necessary steps for crafting a fake dagger, Lucanis’ worries didn’t lessen. The plan wasn’t a bad one, if they somehow managed to outsmart an elven god of lies, but it wouldn’t prevent Rook from getting hurt. What good would deceiving him be if she ended up like Mythal?
His eyes shifted toward her recently vacated chair.
He didn’t like this. Was there really no alternative? Just wait and hope for the best? It was frustrating.
What was worse was that Lucanis was now sure that Rook had gone soft on her opinion of Solas, her empathy making a very unfortunate appearance. Even if she still didn’t trust him, Lucanis feared she’d eventually lower her guard.
Spite materialized by his side, a matching frown on his face.
‘I don’t like this,’ he said, voicing what Lucanis had just thought.
If there was one thing both the demon and he agreed on, it was that Rook’s safety was the priority.
Waking up with Rook by his side was something that Lucanis could easily get used to, and something he hoped he’d have the chance to.
He observed her in silence: the peaceful rise and fall of her chest, the minute twitch of her eyelids, likely dreaming about something. Her red hair fanned across the pillow, catching the warm light slipping through the window.
Before he could think better of it, he took a strand between his fingers, marveling at how soft it was.
‘Rook’s hair is pretty. Like spilled blood on a battlefield,’ came the sudden voice of Spite leaning by his side of the bed.
Lucanis had to suppress a snort. Most people wouldn't consider that a compliment, but coming from a demon that was probably the highest praise.
Spite was right, though. Her hair did resemble the color of fresh blood, a very rare shade that Lucanis didn't think he’d ever seen before. It was fascinating. And yes, pretty too.
It was then that a fleeting realization crossed his mind. Was it his impression or was Spite’s dialogue evolving? The structure of that sentence sounded almost human-like.
His thought process got derailed when Rook groaned softly and turned on her side, burying her face against his chest.
“Did I wake you?” he asked, threading his fingers through her hair. She sighed in contentment.
“No, it must be the hour I usually wake up,” she answered groggily. She half-opened one eye to look at the timepiece above her desk, lifting her head just a bit before she burrowed back against him. “Yeah, it's time for breakfast.”
“I should slip out before someone notices I've slept here,” he commented.
Rook grumbled something that sounded like: “Especially Varric,” but it was muffled against his shirt.
He chuckled. “Yes, especially him.”
"Well, Rook doesn't blame the group for their distrust, because blood magic has a bad reputation for a reason; she just gets frustrated sometimes 😂 But she'd probably be distrustful of other blood mages too, until she could ascertain they aren't abusing it. She's, for obvious reasons, completely aware of how much damage blood magic can do, and how other people usually use it."
Oh, absolutely! It's understandable and Rook knows that. Honestly, your Rook's patience and understanding are some of my favorite things about her characterization—especially since you still let her be hurt and/or frustrated when she still gets treated with coldness/contempt even when she does exactly what was asked of her. I wonder if part of this ties back to what she discussed with Illario about never seeming to be good enough.
Ding-ding! You’re spot on, it definitely ties back to her childhood. I tried to write her behavior like that of someone who’s used to never being enough, to being unwanted. That’s why she relates to Illario so much, because she knows that if the circumstances had been a bit different, she could’ve easily ended up like him (or worse). But the resentment from those early years has faded by now, and she’s learned to separate her feelings from her logic as a coping mechanism. That’s where her patience comes from. It’s easier to stay calm when you understand what drives people to act the way they do. It doesn’t stop the hurt, but you can distance yourself from it a bit. It’s actually a psychology technique 🤣
Arethas has tried all these years to make up for what she went through, but when the trauma comes from your parents, who should’ve cared for you and didn’t— that’s not easily fixed. Though she’s a lot better than she would’ve been without him. Rook without Arethas would’ve likely turned out cold and ruthless, to the point that I don’t think she’d even like Lucanis in that case. Luckily for us, she does hahaha
Okay, I loved how Lucanis was starting to get all 'No, you people do not get to disparage/judge Rook for using blood magic when the reason she needs to do so in the first place is your poor planning.' Rook has been basically done nothing but what they've asked of her and they were cold towards her for the longest time. Heck, Rook even did her best to take up as little space as possible because of how they treated her but she is the weird one for wanting to keep to herself? I'm loving Lucanis's gradual epiphanies surrounding Rook and the group's dynamics.
Your take on the Blood Of Arlathan mission is really interesting and feels very well thought out. I also loved seeing your rendition of the Rook Fanboy Venatori. That bit will always be funny to me! 🤣
Hii! 🥰
Well, Rook doesn't blame the group for their distrust, because blood magic has a bad reputation for a reason; she just gets frustrated sometimes 😂 But she'd probably be distrustful of other blood mages too, until she could ascertain they aren't abusing it. She's, for obvious reasons, completely aware of how much damage blood magic can do, and how other people usually use it.
Tbh, I had my doubts about including Lucanis’ "epiphany" regarding Rook’s use of blood magic, because I wasn't 100% sure it suited him, taking into account his mage-killer title and his trauma. But on the other hand, she's his girlfriend, and she's proven time and again that she uses it for good reasons. I think that challenging his worldview is a natural consequence of their relationship.
The Venatori Fanboy was too funny not to include 🤣 But since Rook isn't the leader here, it didn't make sense for her to be a known enemy figure among the Venatori, which is why I made the change :) And it also ties into the reason why Neve gives Rook the robes— she has a good reputation in Tevinter.
Thank you for the wall of text. I also agree with what you said about how everyone talks to/about Illario in the game. Everyone is just kinda constantly dog-piling on him, even in front of Rook—who could be considered something of an outsider. It's no wonder that Illario ended up looking beyond the Crows for allies/validation.
Hahaha yes. Every time I think about that, a new Illarook plot bunny haunts me. But I swear I like Lucanis. I wouldn’t be writing a long fic about him if that weren’t the case 🤣
“I don’t like this.”
Lucanis raised his faraway gaze from his steaming cup of coffee to look at Rook striding into the dining hall. It was an ungodly hour in the morning, probably before dawn in Thedas, but she looked completely awake and alert, as if she hadn’t slept at all.
Maybe she hadn’t. Even though her armor was different from the day before, her red hair looked exactly as it had after her usual evening bath, not a single wave ruffled or out of place.
“What?” he asked, automatically pouring her another cup and offering it to her as she leaned on the counter next to him.
“Rushing blindly. Again,” Rook answered, accepting the cup gratefully and taking a long sip. “It’s like they don’t have any sense of self-preservation. And it’s only a matter of time until our luck runs out. Why do they keep insisting on risking their lives like that?”
Lucanis blinked, a bit taken aback by her vehemence. “You are against rescuing the Dalish?”
She let out a harsh sigh. “It’s not that. I just don’t agree with the team putting their lives on the line with a half-baked plan just to save some strangers. And I understand that they’re innocent in this, but we can’t save everyone.”
He set his cup down, turning to look at Rook with incredulity written on his face. “But you did exactly that in Treviso,” Lucanis pointed out, confused. “You rushed in without a plan to save the city from the dragon attack.”
Rook set her cup down too so she could cross her arms. “I had a plan. And I didn’t do it for the city,” she said with a scowl. “I did it because you were going to risk your life saving it, and it was going to crush you if you couldn’t.”
That was— Lucanis wasn’t sure what to feel about that. He’d known that she had chosen to go to Treviso to help him, but the fact that it was only for him, even when they weren’t even friends…
