A Moment Found, a series based around Vivian de Riva
Worth It, a short story from Lucanis' POV while he struggles with growing feelings for Rook (Cyrene)
What Stalks Valerian Fields, a multi-chapter story about a simple rescue that becomes more sinister in the farmlands of Valerian Fields. (Cyrene I Done)
WIP
Minrathous mystery surrounding an old acquaintance of Cyrene’s
Modern AU about loose ends, cults, and questionable pharmaceuticals
Summary: Lately, there have been an uptick in kidnappings in Valerian Fields. While on a break back in Minrathous, Cyrene "Rook" Mercar helps out. However, a simple rescue turns into a race against time for stopping a worse enemy.
Preview below the cut!
Chapter 1: Valerian Fields (preview)
“Right. We have to be careful. These are normally warded in a pattern—remove the wrong one and...” Her voice trailed as her eyes fell on the individuals at stake. They’d be ripped apart. The very thing killing them was also keeping them alive through its tether.
She watched a stray connection lead below her, though Lucanis was already ahead of her. He descended quickly, finding a place out of reach of another blast of energy. He gestured to another crystal in his sights and pulled out a throwing knife.
“On your command.”
Cyrene nodded and readied her bow, letting loose two arrows in quick succession to cut off the flow of magic. Lucanis followed swiftly with a well-placed throw, leaving the largest crystal vulnerable. She took aim once more, even as the heat swelled, except only bits of crimson shards shattered forward. The machine, however, continued its deafening hum and hold over the captives.
A personal challenge for how I’d work largely within the existing framework to tweak things. It’s fun to think about.
The way I’ve broken them down is any character changes; their narrative arc broadly and how some quests might change; and what Rook’s involvement would be in terms of the outcome. Overall, I felt like some of the quests were far too personal for it to be solely up to Rook to determine the outcome. In general, I believe it should have been a gradual influence that ultimately the companions decide on.
Featured are Harding and Neve.
Harding
Changes: I’m divided on Harding because the storyline that we got would have worked with Dagna, who had always been interested in magic and is a caste dwarf and more tied to her heritage. Also her bubbly personality would have been an easy swap. However, if I had to rest the Titan story on Harding, I would change her personality to be more aligned with that of DAI where she is a bit more rough around the edges. I understand the stance that because she’s not in the presence of a public figure like the Inquisitor, she’s more casual. But I feel like there were glimpses at the beginning of the game where she seemed more of that rough-edged personality. I am a strong proponent that Harding could have been a conduit for knowledge from previous events if players wanted to engage with that content.
Arc: Harding’s quest would lean into the question of why her and what this means for the rest of the dwarven population. It would be that she never was against her heritage but also not super close to it, having been in human society for most of her life. When she does get this ability, she would be kind of confused. Like,” ugh, why is this happening to me?” But she would also see the benefits of having it. There would be some foreshadowing or hinting that the reason Orzammar and didn’t respond to her inquiries is due to a smattering of their citizens mentioning hearing voices and being able to dream. It worries the leadership and, unsure if it is madness, they would like to keep it within their walls. A minor thing, but I think impactful, would be reactivity to having completed enough of Solas’ regrets before doing Harding’s quest, allowing her to confess that she knows what happened to the Titans. This would change the Oracles dialogue slightly and be a little more pointed, but it would still be a relatively vague response.
I did like the training we did with her and the encouragement/discouragement angle. There would be another instance where Rook could double down on their stance, which could affect their relationship with Harding. There would be the added nuance that perhaps Rook is wary a bit, but will still stand by Harding as she discovers more about these powers. Rook could also be very flippant about her research or actively hostile towards her using them (in the same vein as telling Lucanis you don’t trust him after rescuing him from the Ossuary). As you progress, in one of her quests*her abilities fail her and she gets taken over by the other half a bit, allowing you to see that there is an imbalance.
Instead of her anger seemingly being directed wholesale towards the elves, Harding would struggle with even being the keeper of these feelings. Yes, she felt the need to blend in, but she would recognize that she did in fact live a more privileged life than some others. Should she be the conduit for this righteous anger? How should she go about imparting it to others when they are also trying to keep things in a small group of knowledge? How can the dwarves, who are being affected by awakening Titans coexist with modern elves?
Rook’s Involvement: I think since it’s a lot of high emotions in her final quest, having a friend grounding her was a nice touch. The choice would remain the same, but Rook’s encouragement/discouragement would be taken into account when Harding decides. Being more encouraging would result in Harding taking heed to what Rook is saying, naturally more inclined to Compassion but could also use the anger to empower herself. In contrast, being dismissive towards her abilities would result in Harding for sure embracing anger. The Compassion choice sets her up with more support skills while the Anger is for more combat, but I think even visually it would have been cool. Perhaps the Compassion choice would have Harding's eyes glow blue while Anger would have her briefly look like her red counterpart.
Interpersonal: Harding would be in an interesting position to me, as a Southerner who has recently traveled a lot of Thedas with Varric and also came into contact with a lot of different people in the Inquisition. As an Adrastian, I think she could be challenged depending on the player and the reveals within the game. I think she could be on the cusp of being more open-minded while still being devout.
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Neve
I didn’t dislike Neve’s quest, but Aelia really fell flat to me.
Changes: I feel like Neve needs to be more ingrained in the SD or she is outside them but knows them.
Aelia: In my opinion, Aelia needs to be more dangerous, more formidable. I would give her the Johanna Hezinkoss treatment, where we tangibly see the danger instead of hearing about it. With Johanna, we see she has the lantern; she has pulled in a piece of the Fade; and has already stolen the life from so many. So when she comes through with her golem, it’s a tangible “oh no” moment. With Aelia, the gimmer of that was when she was controlling the Thread boss and the witness. I think it would have been more impactful if there was the implication that she has grown more powerful, perhaps able to control groups of people during a quest or Rook helping Neve to stop a group of her followers wreaking havoc in Dock Town. Or approaching the catacomb temple, we see blood magic going crazy. Neve’s quest could have been a way to really see the damages of blood magic in the same way Zara could have pushed the grotesque side of it.
Arc: Neve’s questline would play out largely the same, with her closing in on a former opponent but with a few more dramatic flourishes. For example, Bataris comes up dead with his father and templars thinking Neve had something to do with it. I think her quests could interact with the main story and support it, providing a more granular experience while the main story remains more high-level. Upon finding out that Aelia is back, there would be another quest where there is major Venatori movement, after their failure in "Blood of Arlathan." It is revealed that Aelia is mobilizing in mass and has gained more followers who want to be on the ‘right side’ of the conflict. Among those missing or controlled would be NPCs (like Hal and Cida) that we see in the temple later on. Neve would be confronted with a choice that mirrors that of the Archon quest and generally similar to the vanilla game's choices: protecting Dock Town using the underground connections and with a show of force against the corrupt; or relying on due process and civilians to change things. I could see the 2nd option as being an exercise in using official channels to make change that sticks and to fight propaganda/negative sentiment on the Shadow Dragons.
Rook’s Involvement: Rook’s support in Neve’s quest would determine how she decides the outcome for her final quest as well as if she is hardened or not. A Shadow Dragon Rook could have an opinion on whichever choice she makes. For example, a by-the-book Rook may be disappointed with Neve choosing to go the forceful route and vice verse. Or Rook could include themselves in the future-facing outcomes of her decision.
Interpersonal: Neve would have been fun to have dialogue with throughout the game, learning her views on events as they happen, as well as her past cases. Players would be able to challenge her on her views of Tevinter and being a mage of some privilege, even as she fights against injustices. Her and Lucanis would not initially get along due to the perceptions of both their origins. If she was hardened, she would be more subdued overall but still a dedicated member of the team. I think it would be nice to see her open up in general.
*This is part of a personal challenge for how I’d work largely within the existing framework to tweak things. It’s fun to think about.
For factions/locations, I am structuring them in terms of what the current world is like as well as some quests that I thought would be interesting.
Treviso
I love the look of Treviso but I would make two major changes: lean into the “life on the rooftops” aspect and removing it as the second prime area for the Evanuris (more on that below).
There would be expansive rooftops - to highlight how the Crows get around. The rooftops would be a thriving place, with shortcuts you can find, many ‘nests’ on the roofs, and part of the market. Ziplines would criss-cross the towers and attics across the skyline. The armor and weapon merchants would be on the roofs, away from the Antaam's prying eyes, while the decor and food items would be in the regular marketplace. Ground visits would be reserved for fighting against the Antaam or special quests (like Cafe Pietra or visiting the Chantry). The strongholds would remain, but would act as checkpoints around the city. The largest concentration would be along the shores and the Drowned District. Within those strongholds/camps would be “centers of re-education/visitations” where the Antaam seek to use qamek to neutralize their opposition. As the Crows’ resistance to the Antaam progresses, the Antaam become more hostile, releasing the gas in pockets that are toxic when passing through, necessitating using the roofs until it is cleared.* The Butcher would be a prevalent figure throughout the game - not as a fightable entity until later, but his speeches and messages would be heard throughout town.
Treviso on its own would have an arc that is centered on the Crows rule over Treviso, for better or worse, and the Antaam conflict.
Assuming Treviso still remained vulnerable to being blighted, then the rooftops would prove to be the safest place for citizens. The canals would have blight boils floating downstream as a constant reminder that the water supply is tainted. Upon getting rid of Zara, the Chantry would be used for triaging the wounded. However the Antaam hold on the city would be slightly weakened as they suffered casualties as well.
Enemies (unchanged)
Antaam
Venatori (around Chantry area and Zara contracts)
Darkspawn (conditional)
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The Crows
The Crows would exist as a morally grey organization that deals in death, full stop. They take contracts from those that can afford it and are not shy about throwing their influence around or making their kills known (The Crows send their regards.) Having them be around town constantly and be visible is not bad, as they would be intimidating. However, there are more justice-minded Talons and families that prefer their kills to be more clean/moral and improve Antiva for all. With the invading Antaam, broken off from the main force that is currently warring with Tevinter, they have decided to focus on disrupting the invaders and gaining more support (via freeing slaves, doing good will). Some citizens are still critical of the Crows, throwing in their support with the Antaam and the standing government.
Quest Types
*Re-Education/Visitation Centers: those are locations where qamek are found. This would be similar to the Crow quest for finding gaatlok. It would entail destroying strongholds where citizens are being kept.
Conspirators: Build up to Ivenci being the co-conspirator for the Butcher. He didn’t act solely alone. The player would be tasked with tracking down those who had a hand and continue to in the Antaam influence.
Outcomes are determined by Rook’s stance on the Crows and their influence. You can outright kill conspirators, imprison, or let them go. Killing them nets the most rep with the Crows while obviously letting them go will have negative. This could be driven by the player’s desire for less Crow oversight. Imprisoning would be a compromise between the government and the Crows, forcing the two to work together effectively. This would build rep with the citizens (which could be argued is a good thing for the Crows.)
Target Practice: Would be exclusively for a Crow Rook. This would be completing the task failed during the prologue.
**If Treviso is blighted, there would be quests for destroying blight in addition to finding fallen comrades.
A short warm-up piece. (Hi @covertleathers, I'm the commentor from Boogie in Murderland. Hope this isn't weird to do!)
Rook offers to read one of Lucanis’ romance novels to him while he cooks dinner.
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“With burning desire, he thrust-” Rook stopped, continuing the paragraph in her head.
“Yes?” Lucanis asked after a beat passed. He looked up from the pot he’d been stirring, finding Rook engrossed in the text she read from, eyes darting across the page. She wanted to know what he found interesting in the novels he read, having steered away from romances for most of her life in preference for adventures and mysteries.
“I don’t know if I can say this. Not in the kitchen.” She scanned over her shoulder at the empty room briefly.
“That’s one of the tame ones.”
She read ahead to herself, the scene playing out in vivid detail, thanks to the specific, but beautiful prose. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. She couldn’t have been embarrassed - she’d read plenty of serials and been fairly exposed to carnality, thanks to her Tevinter roots. But nevertheless, she was affected.
It didn’t help that she couldn’t stop imaginging Lucanis as titular hero. Her eyes flicked up briefly, regarding Lucanis tending to soup. So careful and attentive, hyperfocused on its needs. The light hand he had when chopping or handling ingredients.
It made her wonder. When it came time, would he be so enthralled in her? Hold her with the same reverence as he did pearl onions and carrots? Run his fingers through her hair like the thyme sprigs he was fond of? Caress her skin with delicate fingertips, like the market fruit she’d found herself mildly jealous of from time to time?
She felt foolish, and now flush, from her meandering thoughts. She sighed, rereading the same sentence she’d been on before.
----
Lucanis tossed a bundle of herbs into the boiling broth and glanced over at her, now with a hand over her mouth and her cheeks flushed. He wasn’t sure if it was from desire or embarrassment, but it was a sight to see nonetheless.
“She tightened around his sword, trembling with want for more. ‘Marius,’ she moaned.” Rook did her best to emulate the feel of the scene, adding another moan for good measure.
The tone and cadence echoed in his mind, long after she moved to the next paragraph. His eyes flicked over at Spite standing behind Rook’s shoulder, also looking at the book. He was glad the demon was distracted, lest he blurt out a casual parallel to Lucanis’ less-than-wholesome thoughts or dreams. Lucanis cleared his throat, shocking himself back to reality.
“This isn’t possible. Her body cannot do this,” she said matter of factly as he sat next to her. Lucanis sighed.
“Don’t think about the details. What’s important is the passion, their yearning. The first caresses.” She looked at him for a moment, cradling the book in her lap.
The memory of Illario chiding him for reading of lovers instead of pursuing one burned in the forefront of his mind. He hadn’t attempted to explain at that time - deducing his cousin was well-versed in passion but ignorant all the same.
Rook leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, lightly gripping his arm.
“You are so sweet.”
“Only because I have you.” He said softly. She smiled, coaxing one from him. After a moment, she cleared her throat and prepared to read.
“Lucanis gripped her supple thigh, lost in her womanly fragrance.” He nearly choked on the coffee sip he’d been savoring. He pressed the back of his hand to his lips. Rook was thoroughly amused, throwing her head back in a fit of giggles. “On the edge of ecstacy, she fell apart in front of him.”
“Oh! Should I come back later?” Bellara stood halfway through the door. She was clutching the journal she carried her writings in. Lately, she’d recruited Rook in reading chapters.
“Hi Bellara. We’re just doing a little reading together, featuring Lucanis as our hero.”
Bellara shut the door behind her and crossed the room quickly, taking a seat on one of the chairs.
“Are you the heroine?”
“Afraid not. I don’t have ‘silken blonde locks that thread like spun gold’.” Rook shrugged, running her fingers through her short, brunette hair. Bellara put a finger to her lips in thought. She sat up suddenly, eyes gleaming with recognition.
“I think I know this one. Is the woman’s name Lady Mabella?”
Rook flipped a few pages back and nodded. “Yes she is.”
“Well, I won’t spoil the ending, but he does up being seduced by an mysterious adventurer with a ‘boyish cut’.”
Rook hummed, looking at the book with renewed interest. She glanced over at Lucanis, who smirked. “You didn’t mention that.”
“It was part of the surprise,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “Now, after her ecstacy?”
Bellara made notes in her journal while Rook read in a clear voice, finishing the chapter on a cliffhanger in time for the soup to be ready.
*This is part of a personal challenge for how I’d work largely within the existing framework to tweak things. It’s fun to think about.
For factions/locations, I am structuring them in terms of world state is like as well as some quests that I thought would be interesting.
Minrathous + Dock Town
I was pretty disappointed that the extent that we really explore was only Dock Town.
Minrathous would be a primary location like Arlathan, with players being able to access High Town and Dock Town. Dock Town would be mostly for Neve’s cases and exploring the Catacombs, and the High Town area from the beginning of the game would be for Shadow Dragon quests and some of the main story beats.
Dock Town would remain a place showcasing the downtrodden and commoner experience, with dock workers, small merchants, and impoverished people. There would be a slave population working as well, with frequent Templar presence. Aesthetically, it would remain the same, with low magic. On the flipside, the High Town area would be expanded, with a focus on verticality and building atop elven ruins. It would be brighter with more upper class citizens around and finer amenities. (The attire would shine here like in Val Royeaux) If Rook is a qunari or elf, players would be treated with disdain, while humans and dwarves would have neutral responses. This location would be a chance to show off what magic could do in a controlled and defined way, as an alternative to the wild magic of Arlathan.
If Minrathous is left to fend for itself, the building damage would be increased a bit, requiring shortcuts to navigate the city and retrigger the waypoints. (*Not in a complicated way for gameplay sake. For example, if a waypoint was on the ground, now there's rubble in the spot and it gets triggered via a ladder.) Additionally, there would be more Venatori presence in areas that were relatively quiet before as well as evidence of blood magic and rituals, even in High Town. Latent magic would attract more demons. The SD hideout would not be affected entirely since it would be relocated, but the group would still be targeted with less members in the hideout or ambushes as a SD Rook. However, the chaotic state of the city has pushed some citizens to rally against the cultists and corrupt leadership. Some citizens will offer help for the Shadow Dragons against the Venatori. The idea is to provide a pros/cons situation for which city to help. The player would not know this necessarily, but it would be an opportunity for replay and also arguing Rook's stance.
Enemies
Venatori
Demons (Pride, despair, envy)
Mercenaries
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The Shadow Dragons
The Shadow Dragons would be an active freedom fighting group that is busier now with the Venatori threat on the horizon. Their primary hideout would be moved to the sewer area that is an extension from the pawn shop. This is a group with people from all walks of life, including some that were past slaves that you can talk to and learn more about. There are also some that are high ranking magisters and leaders who must be careful, so players would only encounter them during certain missions or in the High Town area. Neve is not officially a part of the group but is a contact for them in their work. This allows her to have enough distance to not compromise the faction as she encounters powerful enemies.
Quests
Slaver Auctions: Freeing slaves and other captured people from being purchased and used by the Venatori in their rituals.
Venatori Ranks: Following up on potential Magisters amongst the ranks of the Venatori. Keeping them alive provides information but they are still threats.
Rumors: Dorian has heard talk of magisters losing their powerful objects. Getting these things out of the hands of magisters is a plus, but where is it going? Following up on reports of elusive elves that may be Fen’harel agents.
I'm classifying Cyrene as someone who is skilled in infiltration and carrying out stealth missions, in part from being raised in a military household and her training as a rogue. She is also skilled in puzzle-solving/traps (my reasoining as a player who liked the environmental puzzles and mentioning puzzles in dialogue), positioning as an asset even though she cannot disable wards. She was a nomadic type Shadow Dragon, working across Tevinter to shut down slave rings, freeing captives, removing dangerous ritual items, and disrupting Venatori rituals. As such, she does not have as much ties to her neighborhood as her counterpart, Neve.
Origin Background: Although the Nessus operation proved successful with Cyrene helping the dignitary to rescue slaves in cultist locations, her previous work had already put her in Venatori sights. That mission was the final straw, as it were.
Fighting style: Necrotic Duelist (High dps and mobility)
The two pages I did a little while ago based on that one codex entry!
I loved the idea that they would spend as much time as they could together, just enjoying each other’s presence as their feelings slowly developed more and more ~
my final two evanuris designs, andruil and ghilan'nain! evil girlfriends <3 next up i'll be doing a few alternate outfits for some of the evanuris, and then the forgotten ones.
my other designs: [dirthamen & falon'din] • [june & sylaise]
design notes:
andruil was the trickiest to get a clear idea of so far - for most of the evanuris i already had a general idea of them in my head (mostly hair colour lol) except for andruil, so i just experimented a bit until i had an idea i vibed with. i almost gave her fully white hair but decided on this brown + white streak instead, which i think looks better and more unique!
a hunter's outfit felt most appropriate for andruil, in fact i honestly can't imagine her wearing anything else (she feels like the type to wear armour even to a formal event lmao) and it ofc had to be very detailed and ornate to show that she's not just a hunter, she's THE hunter >:) all the patterns are based on her vallaslin, with the exception of the cloak which is inspired by elgar'nan's sleeve things, the idea being that the shape of her original spirit form is embroidered on. her helmet is a mixture of the ancient elven helmets + whatever anaris has going on, i really like his twisted horns and wanted to do the same with andruil as her symbol also resembles horns :) also i imagine she has a little hole on the top of the helmet to let her ponytail through, because slay & also i love long hair and showing it off in my designs lol.
for ghil i decided to adapt her in-game design into her original elven form, because i really like her design in the game & wanted to stay faithful to it and it also makes sense that she would keep her armour after the transformation! (the breastplate doesn't quite fit her chest and shows her ribs on the sides, which i figured is because her ribcage expanded after her transformation, and the cloth bits are very weathered, indicating they're old.) i restored the cloth into nice flowy pieces of fabric, which i think nicely contrast with the pointy carapace-like armour. it makes her look intimidating but also very elegant! lastly i ofc gave her andruil's spear, as seen in the old da4 concept art (giant sea monster ghilly you will always be famous)
*This is part of a personal challenge for how I’d work largely within the existing framework to tweak things. It’s fun to think about.
For factions/locations, I am structuring them in terms of what the current world is like as well as some quests that I thought would be interesting.
Arlathan Forest
Arlathan Forest would remain largely as is (I honestly love this place). The one thing I would change is that the locations that open up as part of quests, remain open. For example, the way to Davrin’s uncle’s home is closed off after you leave or the funeral grounds. It would be nice from a gameplay perspective, to be able to collect what you didn’t the first time. The Arlathan map would be the largest area in the game, in terms of square footage, to allow for exploring the ruins and artifacts.
*A more radical take would be to make Arlathan the opposing location to Minrathous instead of Treviso. I think the wild magic that is referenced in the Forest and the encroaching blight could have made for interesting development and stakes. It seems like the first place Ghili chose to "test" on so it would have been nice to continue that thread. It could have been a way for how different clans viewed the events. Do some want to submit to the Evanuris in hopes of stopping the encroaching blight? The sorrow of recovering a location that is being damaged.
Enemies
Fade-touched animals
Constructs and sentinels. Sentinels of some form would be guarding each of the Time Horde chests.
Demons (rage and despair specifically**)
Venatori (in the latter part of the story)
Darkspawn*
**I miss the variety of demons that were present in other games, so it would have been nice to see a range depending on the area.
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The Veil Jumpers
The Veil Jumpers would be a mostly elven organization, focusing on recovering artifacts within Arlathan Forest before others who have shown an interest are able to. The forest is thick with ancient magic and unseen objects, making for a hostile and wondrous place that changes often. Due to the large amount of area that needs to be covered and the potential dangers, the faction have started to open up their ranks to those outside of the core Dalish clans, but the attitude towards this necessity is varied. So interacting as a non-elf would yield a number of responses, from being confronted with disdain or tentative welcome. Dwarves are tricky to be there, but useful since they aren’t affected by the magic. So oftentimes they are recruited for more difficult missions.
Quest Types
Overall, I really enjoyed the quests in Arlathan as well as the puzzles. I just wish there was more!
Find and Recover: Continuation of the quest where the Veil Jumper artifacts begin to act up. This would be a follow up for what caused this to happen - perhaps related to a Cyrian/Fen'harel agent subplot.
Clearing the Blight: After D’Meta’s Crossing, you would be able to help another small village using the boat and clearing the blight. This quest would jointly build reputation with both the Veil Jumpers and the Grey Wardens.
Stabilizing: A continuation of checking artifacts and locations, similar to the process of Bellara's first companion quest. Structures and artifacts become more hectic as the game progresses. This also allows for the area to be stabilized, allowing for small VJ groups to set up in those areas. While adventuring, players would come across them.
These quests would not be super involved, it would be similar to resetting the orbs in DAI. The idea would be fighting fade-touched constructs and then stabilizing what is causing the magic in some way, potentially using light puzzles.
