Some facts about Neve (and Tevinter) gathered from the banters
I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).
Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)
Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.
Other characters' posts: Bellara, Davrin, Harding, Lucanis, Emmrich, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later
About Neve:
General:
Neve isn’t rich, and her best coat is a gift from a grateful tailor after she saved his warehouse from an arsonist
Neve’s coat is woven with enchantments to resist fire and lighting
Neve has never done blood magic. She is against it on principle and judges those who use it
Neve doesn’t seem to like entertaining extreme hypotheticals since she reacts to Harding’s questions like “What would you take with you to a deserted island?” with asking why she would end up in such situations in the first place
Neve wouldn’t want gems on her leg, because she thinks they would get stolen within a day of working in Minrathous, and she generally prefers to keep a low profile while on the job
However, she still considers saving up for a new, fancier leg to have more fashion choices. She likes Taash’s idea of getting a ruby inlay for it
Neve never visited Rivain before joining the Veilguard, though she now finds its beaches charming
Ever since she was a baby, Neve was stubborn and asked too many questions (and hated unanswered questions as well)
Neve likes Qunari food but thinks it’s very spicy
Neve likes seafood
Neve doesn't drink tea
Neve isn’t really close with her family
Neve once tried to use a wisp-repelling artefact the Veil Jumpers found to get rid of the wisps in her room, but it only attracted wisps from the entire Lighthouse
Neve isn’t interested in exploring the mysteries of the Lighthouse because she has enough mysteries on this side of the Veil
(If Rook chooses to save Minrathous) Neve sends civil engineers to assist in Treviso
On work:
Neve didn’t want to be a detective when she was a child (not as if in she didn’t like the idea, she just didn’t consider it), though she didn’t have any dream career either
Neve got into detective work by picking up odd jobs and building a reputation of being good at finding things. Eventually, she was hired to find someone’s brother, a case nobody else wanted to pick up, and her career took off
Neve agrees that she is cynical and married to her job, but doesn’t consider herself ‘serious’
Neve allegedly has a system for sorting her papers (Emmrich and Rana are sceptical about its existence)
(If Neve becomes Dock Town's protector) Elek is implied to visit the Lighthouse again multiple times. Taash mentions seeing him poking around the library. Neve explained that he thought he could grab some fade-touched items to sell, and told him to run the plan by the Caretaker (one would think they did not approve)
On life in Minrathous:
Neve was born and raised in Minrathous
Neve has never been inside the Archon’s Palace
(If Neve chooses to become Dock Town’s inspiration) Neve doesn’t regret letting Aelia live because she got information on Venatori out of her, and her death wouldn’t change the past
(If Neve chooses to become Dock Town’s inspiration) Neve gets to take a break for once in her life because Rana keeping an eye on the Dock Town actually helps
(If Neve chooses to become Dock Town’s inspiration) People gossip about Neve and Rana after they start their agency :)
Neve describes the rain of Minrathous as "cold fingers down your neck", but she misses it now that she's away from the city. The sound helps her fall asleep
Neve’s entire apartment could fit inside villa Dellamorte’s dining room
One of Tevinter papers referred to Neve as "Dock Town dirt-chaser," and to Emmrich as "sinister foreign necromancer”
A Tevinter paper called The Minrathous Herald once wrote that Neve should be exiled. The same paper called Shadow Dragons “traitors to the Empire”
Neve never runs out of ink because she's on good terms with Minrathous ink sellers
There is however one banter where she runs out of ink (I think it was with Davrin). Make of that what you will.
On the Shadow Dragons:
Neve didn't know Dorian personally until she joined the Shadow Dragons
Neve figured out the Viper's identity even before joining the Dragons. Her not revealing it to the public is one of the reasons he recruited her
Tarquin calls Neve a pain in the ass
Relationships with companions:
Neve calls Manfred ‘Fred’ (he seems to like that)
Manfred learns to say Neve's name (likely only happens if you revive him at the Necropolis, though I am not sure)
Neve introduces Lucanis to a spice shop in Dock Town
Harding describes Neve’s tastes in coffee as “made of gutter water filtered through an old sock”
Lucanis once showed Neve’s coffee to Viago. He found it “unsettling”
Davrin thinks drinking Neve's coffee is worse than the Joining
Neve spoils Assan (but denies that accusation)
Neve is rather quick to consider questioning corpses with Emmrich’s help for her cases
Neve is very apprehensive about lichdom and the perspective of Emmrich eventually turning evil (just like Emmrich isn't thrilled about her taking over the Threads for similar reasons)
Lucanis is concerned about Neve taking over the Threads. Mainly, about how much they are paying her
Neve has multiple banters with Taash discussing her relationship with Lucanis. Taash initially thinks of it as some sort of predator-prey dynamic, but Neve says she is not into that and explains that they are taking it slow and cautious. They both went through a lot of pain in their lines, which they tend not to show for different reasons
Neve's relationship with Lucanis is also more than she usually looks for with people
Neve takes Taash to Hal’s fish fry stand. Taash loved it :)
Taash offers Neve help on ladders in case she may need it/it gets stuck on steps due to being hook-shaped, mentioning they knew a Lord of Fortune who lost a hand and whose shoulders hurt while climbing because of it. Neve seems to appreciate the gesture, even though she can handle herself
Neve thinks Taash is nice to work with, offering help without being overbearing like some people are
Neve asks Taash to teach her Gold Thief (a Lord of Fortune dice game), so she can play it with the Shadow Dragons, and then subsequently gets beaten by the Viper
On Tevinter:
Fashion is important in Tevinter because a good outfit lets people know you are under the protection of someone powerful
There aren’t many mages in Docktown, which is one of the reasons the government doesn’t care about it
The big red cat near Halos’s stand is named Ferdinand
Stains on clothes can be cleaned with magic
You can get pineapples anywhere in Minrathous
Neve calls the magic used for the lights in Minrathous a party trick, but Emmrich considers it a high-level enchantment because of its quality and duration
Tevinter doesn’t regulate the charms sold in the market (which is why there are a lot of scammers who sell fakes)
Imagining Lucanis brooding in Rook's room while they're stuck in the Fade prison the same way he does with Neve's room if he's romancing her and she gets taken at Tearstone.
And THEN, you get the dialogue from Davrin that Assan missed you while you were gone, and he tells you that Assan would prowl around your room and sleep on your couch.
So, it wouldn't be that far of a jump to imagine Assan keeping Lucanis company and pulling him out of his brooding, or Assan and Lucanis both falling asleep together on Rook's couch, because Lucanis doesn't want to move Assan and Assan somehow knows that Lucanis hasn't slept in like 4 days and desperately needs it, so he curls up on top of him.
I got way too excited for a minute thinking it was a wyvern up there, but it's a phoenix 😭
So now I'm imagining Lucanis having the same exact reaction of thinking that he FINALLY gets to see a wyvern, only for it to be some other bitch species
a lot of rook de riva’s time in treviso is spent with jacobus. sometimes they’ll just talk, or rook will help with his training (and commiserate about all the boring parts), or rook will offer to take him on a quest around the city that they’re relatively sure they’ll be able to get him through alive. they seem to be one of the only ones that can get through to him and get him to listen, so they keep showing up for him when they can, keep pushing a little bit at a time.
on one particular day, teia and viago are watching them talk in the cantori diamond. they just came back from a series of scraps with the antaam and are patching themselves up side by side. rook explains to jacobus in a low voice, “you put all your focus into the attack and leave yourself wide open to get hit from behind. when you’re with us, we can cover you, but alone? that’s how you lose a fight, and it won’t be pretty. i know you want to admire your handiwork, but you have to keep your eyes moving. it’s as much about not letting them kill you as it is about killing them. remember, the least interesting threat is the one you’ve already neutralized, at least until the fight is over.” they roll up their sleeve to show off the scars littering one of their arms and raise their eyebrows, adding, “ask me how i know.” that earns a smile from jacobus — not an easy feat to accomplish, and not one his other teachers seem particularly concerned with achieving.
teia elbows viago. “looks familiar, doesn’t it, vi?” viago tries very hard to ignore the proud warmth spreading in his chest.
Y'all, I'm literally driving myself insane trying to figure out the Vol Dorma job. I have a physical murder board of it.
Is the contents of the Odes to Seven Antivans a red herring? What does it have to do with ANYTHING else we know about the Vol Dorma job?
What exactly was Neve after?
How are Sulky Willy and Furious Butch connected?
It isn't a coincidence that both Neve and Davrin met the mime, despite not meeting the other's respective dwarf with a weird name.
Elek was there, Neve did him a favor. He can't go back to Vol Dorma now- because he pulled a scam similar to purple!Rook's "pay for a Treviso manor up front" joke. Is his part important or just a distraction?
Did Sulky Willy leave or did something happen to him - since he was sure that the rageling was sent for him specifically.
If Sulky Willy was the one who pushed the page under Neve's door, why did he want her involved but not know that he had a part in everything?
The Mime.
More insane muttering based around 3 lines of dialogue at ten.
Some facts about Lucanis (and also Spite and the Crows) gathered from the banters
I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).
Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)
Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.
Other characters' posts: Bellara, Davrin, Harding, Emmrich, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later
About Lucanis:
Family and the past:
Lucanis learnt to cook while helping the kitchen staff at the villa when he was a little boy. One of his motivations was learning how to make churros
Side note: Lucanis mentions that cioccolata calda was his favourite drink when he was a baby, and he serves churros to a romanced Rook who picks cioccolata calda as their favourite drink. It’s all coming together!
Lucanis wanted to be a Crow when he was a child (at least most of the time)
All of Lucanis's relatives were Crows as well, and all of them were killed by a rival Crow house
Lucanis says Caterina would be proud of Illario hiding his plans well, as well as killing her
Lucanis says that the hard part about setting Illario free would be convincing Caterina
Lucanis says that nightlife was more of Illario's thing, and he never got out as much
On Crows and Antiva:
Viago still stares daggers at Lucanis for throwing his (Viago's) pet snake out of the window in a dream
Lucanis doesn't like it when people confuse murder and assassination ("Murderers are hobbyists, we are professionals")
Lucanis has taken contracts in Orlais
Lucanis doesn’t know Treviso as well as he once used to
Heir didn’t train Lucanis
Lucanis says he has never killed an innocent “by his count” (other people may disagree)
Lucanis doesn’t think of the Crows as a “big organisation” (unlike the Inquisition) because they stab each other too much
Lucanis became a mage-killer at Caterina’s behest (she wanted to tap into new markets)
The nickname “The Demon of Vyrantium” came from Tevinter news-sheets, though Lucanis thinks Viago started it
Lucanis says that there aren't any special tricks to killing mages. Though, if nothing else works, you can try pissing them off, as that could attract a demon that would eat the mage
Lucanis once killed half a dozen venatori while stuck inside an elevator
Lucanis doesn’t consider himself a gentleman assassin, manners are less important than getting the job done
Lucanis sometimes spares his targets. He mentioned letting go of a servant who killed her master, as well as a 14-year-old boy. He thinks it’s wrong to kill people so young because they still have time to change
Lucanis doesn’t accept contracts without merit, and the merit is decided by the talon of the house
General:
Lucanis can make bread
Lucanis has never been to Ferelden
Lucanis isn’t interested in killing wyverns, just looking at them :)
Lucanis has a pet snake
Lucanis stays awake at night by cleaning his gear, exercising, studying Orlesian and knitting ("it’s just another kind of blade work")
Lucanis doesn’t understand a lot of things people find attractive
(In a conversation with Harding) Thinking about cooking was one of the things that helped Lucanis stay sane in the Ossuary (the other was thinking about killing his enemies)
(In a conversation with Davrin) Lucanis survived the Ossuary by shutting down and not thinking about anything except escaping
These two points sort of contradict each other. Either an inconsistency or Lucanis describing his experience differently to different people.
The Wetlands ruined at least one pair of Lucanis’s boots
(If Rook chooses to save Treviso) Lucanis offers to pay for any supplies the Shadow Dragons may need
Lucanis doesn't get a better bed because he's afraid of accidentally falling asleep
Lucanis can identify the killer’s weapon and the height difference between them and the target just through the blood splatter left at the scene
Lucanis considers Grey Wardens dangerous
Lucanis doesn’t like necromancy, because bringing people back to life is a waste of hard work
Lucanis finds the ice coffee from Minrathous offensive (Harding describes it as “snow, but made of coffee, sweet, and with cream and toffee sauce on top”)
Lucanis had never been in a romantic relationship before Rook/Neve
Relationships with other companions:
Lucanis gets into reading Bellara’s serials (very passionately - they chat about it a bunch)
Lucanis is outraged that the Veil Jumpers don’t get paid for their work and offers Bellara his contract negotiator
Lucanis made biscuits for Assan
Lucanis is sceptical that the griffons will be safe with the Wardens
Lucanis think that Assan shouldn’t go soft (referring to the time he took care of a halla) because he is a predator at heart
(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Lucanis offers to hold a funeral for Manfred
Lucanis and Harding talk a lot about dreams (mostly silly things like showing up naked for the job, getting chased by someone/something etc.)
Lucanis thinks Harding is deadly with her bow
Lucanis offers to pay Harding for being his lookout/aide at the rate of 6000 gold per contract
Lucanis offers the help of his contract negotiator to Neve after he finds out she doesn't have one
Lucanis made deep-fried peppers for Taash
About Spite:
Emmrich can hear Spite even when he doesn’t take over Lucanis’s body (at least from a close distance)
Spite is impartial to Emmrich, believing him more than Lucanis
Emmrich says it’s impossible to separate Spite and Lucanis without killing them
Emmrich encourages Lucanis to read to Spite to bring them closer. Lucanis agrees to let Spite pick a book
(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Spite asks if he and Lucanis can get rid of their skin too
(If Manfred is revived at the Necropolis) Spite asks Emmrich to teach him how to use fire magic. Lucanis isn’t thrilled by the idea
Emmrich sets up wards to prevent Spite from leaving the room when Lucanis is asleep
Spite no longer sleepwalks after “Inner Demons” because he apparently understood the concept of space
By the end of the game, Spite has agreed to stop sleepwalking completely
Spite controls the wings (confirmed in banter with Harding)
Spite wants to try swinging off the astrolabe at the Lighthouse
Spite is very excited about Manfred having hands and feet (Curiosity. Has. Feet!)
Spite finds the wisps in Neve’s room unnerving (as do Lucanis and Neve)
Spite likes to play with whetstones Bellara got for Lucanis (Bellara got them from the Irelin who supposedly got them from somewhere in Arlathan)
Spite wants to try eating self-lightning candles at Blackthorne Manor
About the Crows:
Crows frequently visit Nevarra and have received 20 contacts to assassinate the king. The King has been poisoned 7 times
Crows get a lot of contracts for Divine Victoria
Some seers in Rivain are powerful enough that there are contracts on them as well
Caterina once killed a man with a thimble
When Crows kill someone, most of the time they want others to know it was them (rather than presenting the death as an accident)
The crows buried six different Eight Talons and rarely take contracts in Ferelden after the Zevran fiasco
I almost forgot that I meant to upload the rookanis final battle conversation as another follow up to Lucanis interrupting Rook saying "I love you," because this great post made me realize that he interrupts Rook a second time, right before the final battle, so he can say "I love you" himself first and not miss his chance this time... and perhaps to also take the bullet for Rook if he truly believes that settling your affairs before the job is done is bad luck
A snoop through Lucanis's room in the Lighthouse; Signs of a Struggle
Lucanis is doing a damned good job holding it together considering everything he's been through. He's keeping a tight grip on his emotions and using the job to focus himself, but if you stop in to check on him... there are a few clear signs that not all is well.
Baby boy picked a room without windows, yet he's still craving light. For an assassin who has spent most of his life very comfortable in the dark, he’s avoiding it now like he’s avoiding sleep.
There are FIFTY SEVEN candles in his room. Fifty six of them are lit. Look at the variety. He found every spare candle available to him in the Lighthouse and possibly dragged a few back with him from the Cantori Diamond or Dellamorte estate.
^ Short candles, tall tapers, all in various states of use, ALL LIT. One very different candle in a silver candle-holder, maybe from the Diamond or home
^ Another silver addition, this time a candelabra with similar style to the last one and an elven lamp, similar to the one Rook decorates their room with.
^ Three more styles of candlestick holders in with all the standalone candles I'm guessing he found around the Lighthouse.
^ Terrible shot, but he also has both wall torches lit, which were the only lights in that space when he moved in IIRC
And what's more, he has enough coffee stashed in this room to give niacin flush to an elephant.
There are ELEVEN coffee cups sitting out and two more sitting ready next to the gifted coffee set. (Also, he has no coffee in his mug if you sneak a peek into it.)
^ Seven of the cups are within reach of his right hand, where he sits on the bed.
^ There's another in front of his hookah pipe. Couple more in the second shot, I missed a picture of one somehow. There are two unused cups sitting ready behind his gifted coffee set that definitely doesn't look like it's for tea...
^ Coffee beans and I'm guessing the two sacks next to the basket are full of the same. His empty cup below, cuz it makes me laugh.
Next, the bed. It gives me vibes of the crappy bedroll Astarion sleeps on in BG3. Look at this thing.
You can see where he tried scrubbing the grime away before giving up and deciding to just live with it. We know there are other beds in the Tower, Taash and Davrin both have cozy ones when they arrive.
Whether or not Lucanis had the conscious thought of "what he's worth / deserves", this is how he values himself. This is what he chose to sleep in... likely with the thought that he's going to be avoiding sleep at all costs anyway, why does it matter what shape the bed is in?
He brought barely any personal possessions with him. Lace is the same way, but Bellara's room is full and we found her packing list (adorable). Neve, too, has brought books, papers, a spare leg, tools to work on it with... Even Rook has a scene where they decorate their room with possessions that are meaningful to them.
But if we go looking through Lucanis's personal belongings, we find barely any of them. And what few there are, we find mixed among the team supplies or shoved under them.
^ Here, is hookah pipe is neatly shelved in the corner, and we find a a heavily-armored and well-locked chest tucked among the fruit. I might be looking for meaning where there isn't any but... Lucanis has got himself tucked away in the pantry, his walls up and himself still locked away in the Ossuary of his mind.
^ Better view of the chest.
Underneath one of the moved shelves is a Crow-themed rug, with almost all details hidden under supplies for the team, another big basket of coffee beans and another presumably-locked chest.
Under the bed, we find another rug, rolled up and not set out even though having it laid on the floor inside of the bed would be more comfortable. He spends a lot of time sitting on that bed, having a rug to put his feet on could be nice and yet... it's under the bed.
The only other Lucanis possession I could find in the room is his bag, shoved under his bed. He's a boujie boy, but it's not a boujie bag. It's utilitarian and well-used, shoved under the bed until he needs it.
To end on a slightly happier note... his brewing bench outside the pantry door is pretty neat.
^ I wonder where these mugs are from and what the designs represent.
^ Any idea what this is, anyone? The thing hanging from the chain?
Oh, and guess what was under the brew station! MORE COFFEE!
I wonder if because of his year in Ossuary - assumably sleeping on the ground that entire time- he's not used to sleeping comfortably. It could be a situation where he can't relax until he's in a familiar position. Even if what's familiar to him is exactly what is hurting him.
It could also be another part of him trapping himself mentally in the Ossuary, making himself sleep uncomfortably (when he does sleep) instead of returning to the use of an Antivan style bed (I saw those beds in the Villa Dellamorte. You could fit like the entirety of the pantry on one of those bad boys)
Some specific party banter between Lucanis and Davrin that kind of makes you sit back and think about the fucky parts of Crow's ideals/lifestyle and how those reflect in Lucanis' mindset:
1. Davrin asks Lucanis whether he would take a contract to assassinate him - Lucanis deflects but Davrin calls out the fact that Lucanis didn't answer the question, implying that if he had to, Lucanis would go through with it.
(Most likely because he wouldn't have another choice)
2. Lucanis playing Devil's Advocate regarding Isseya to prove his point of killing not always being black and white, pointing out that while Isseya was lost in the darkness according to Davrin, she was still a Warden -just like Davrin-, and in her own way was trying to protect the griffons -just like Davrin-.
I feel like this shows the justification that the Crows give, or maybe justification is the wrong word, but at least for Lucanis, it seems to be seen as doing something immoral (that he excels in) in the pursuit of a good cause. For Crows, they use the tools and skills that they know, whether they use those for good, evil, or whatever serves the self best.
3. Lucanis chastising Davrin after hearing about Assan helping the halla, telling Davrin that he's letting Assan go soft and that Assan is "a predator at heart" like the two of them. That he'll end up full of anxiety like a sheepdog. And he is very cynical about it when Davrin responds saying that people can change, so maybe griffons can too.
To me, this feels close to how Davrin was towards the beginning. He was stricter and hard on Assan because if he didn't prepare him for how tough things could be, the world would eat him alive. I think that is a very good parallel to how Lucanis was raised by Caterina, and how in her attempts to make sure Lucanis survived, she had him tortured and starved and isolated for years to the point that he hated her. Lucanis holds onto that because he eventually realizes that he would have failed if not for Caterina's methods. So, he sees these methods as successful. His response to Davrin and Assan shows that he has found the merit in that harsh form of parenting because he is proof that it works.
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