while making this last night I realized i was subconsciously infusing a lot of jerome morrow into him and everything made sense lmfao. art in the center by @nicht-alles-gold 💚😌
Grey Warden of Orlais — of Elvhen and Ander ancestry
Born into the opulent yet perilous world of Orlesian nobility, Fenisant Villars-Thorne was the only child of a stern but devoted mother and an absent father. His lineage was a rare blend: Orlesian nobility through his mother, and Elvhen-Ander Grey Warden blood from his father. His upbringing was shaped by politics, expectations, and quiet defiance.
His mother, a noblewoman from a prominent merchant house, was no stranger to the “Game.” Though considered lesser nobility by birth, her influence in Orlais was undeniable. Known for her elegance and biting wit, she was both admired and quietly resented by the elite. More controversial, however, was her outspoken advocacy for Elvhen rights—an unforgivable stance among many of her peers. She had been expected to marry into a greater noble house, but instead followed her heart, choosing love over strategy. She wed an Ander-born Grey Warden, a decision that scandalized courtly circles and earned her whispers in the palace halls.
Her husband died tragically—perhaps predictably—in the line of duty. She never remarried. Though magic was once viewed with wariness in her house, she made it her mission to ensure her son would receive the finest magical education money could buy. Fenisant was enrolled at the most prestigious Circle academy in Val Royeaux—the same that once trained Madame de Fer, Vivienne herself.
But privilege could not protect them forever. Her progressive views and political defiance eventually made her a target. She was assassinated when Fenisant was only eighteen. Left alone and reeling, he vowed to uncover her killer. His investigations led him deep into the heart of Orlesian corruption, unmasking the ugliest secrets of its most powerful families. In doing so, he marked himself as a threat. An assassination was ordered.
The attempt failed.
On the run and disillusioned, Fenisant abandoned Orlais, traveling for five years across Thedas. He fell in with a band of thieves and assassins—led, ironically, by a woman from his past—and together they orchestrated a revenge plot. But everything went wrong. He was betrayed. Manipulated into killing an innocent, he discovered too late that his vengeance had been used as a weapon.
Captured and tried for murder, his fate seemed sealed. Execution loomed, or worse—lifelong imprisonment, or slavery in Tevinter. But fate intervened. A visiting Grey Warden who had once known Fenisant’s father spoke on his behalf, revealing long-buried truths about his family and offering him a choice: die in chains or live in service.
He chose the Wardens.
Taking the name “Rook,” he shed the remains of his former life and returned to his father’s ancestral homeland under a new identity and new purpose. His childhood dreams of knighthood—of being a chevalier—were realized, albeit in a twisted form. As a Grey Warden, he found camaraderie, purpose, and a semblance of peace. The fire for revenge that had once consumed him cooled, tempered by years of loss, battle, and reflection.
Those years became a blur of travel and hardship. He crossed paths with the legends of his time—perhaps aiding Anders and Hawke during their flight from the Free Marches, exchanging quiet words with Thom Rainier while he was still Blackwall, or even saving the life of Michel de Chevin in an act of poetic irony. He never lingered anywhere for long. Though he missed the comforts of his youth, the sting of betrayal soured any longing for Orlais.
Rook learned to stop looking backward. His story now moves forward—sword in hand, eyes on the horizon, and a future of his own making.
