okay so i was getting stuck in a rut with how i was doing this series of comics, so i wanted to pull some inspiration from outside sources. as soon as i decided this, pinetreevilliain's comic came across my dash and there was no going back. seriously, their comics are gorgeously done.
i snuck a color palette from color-palettes as well
it definitely made drawing this round of pages way more fun
Strange magics awaken across Thedas and the Divine suspects the Dreadwolf’s influence is at play. Desperate to stop Solas’ plan to tear down the Veil the Divine sends forces to Tevinter to stop him at all costs. The Inquisitor knows that if the Imperium suspects the South’s interference bloodshed will ensue. Hoping to stop this madness before it can begin the Inquisitor sends a party to thwart Solas’ plans before the Divine’s forces are discovered. Varric leads this party to Minrathous along with Rook his second in command to find their missing contact Neve Gallus.
After getting her location from the Tavern they were meant to meet her in they find the detective in the grasps of the Venatori amidst a Black Market Auction. The Auction is selling an artifact that Solas’ agents have been attempting to track down. Stealing into the vaults the crew finds many strange artifacts here being stored here including an Eluvian and the Red Lyrium idol. Varric is disturbed to find it or to think what Solas might do with it but before they can explain they are joined by others seeking the idol. In the vaults they are joined by a group of Venatori led by Calpernia and Solas’ agents. As this stand-off for the idol breaks into a fight, Reva, Solas’ second-in-command, summons the Dreadwolf to their aid. Solas arrives through the Eluvian and quickly begins taking out most of the Venatori and Rook’s team.
Thinking on their feet, Rook begins recklessly activating and destroying the magical items that fill the vault at random to mask their escape. As Rook, Varric, Neve, and Harding escape through the sewers we see a shadow of the Dreadwolf stretch across the vaults wall with the sounds of fighting echoing.
*Insert Veilguard title card here*
Chapter Two: Plan B
The destruction Rook causes allows Calpernia to escape as well putting them in another stand-off in an alleyway which is quickly dispersed by guards who are searching for them. They part escaping into the night. After fleeing through the streets of Minrathous that are now on high alert the group reaches a safehouse, also known as Neve Gallus’ apartment. In the hideout the remaining crew argues over what to do next. Neve points out that they should get back to the investigation as soon as possible while Solas’ trail is still hot. Harding believes they should report back to the Inquisitor first to give them this new information. Varric tells them to figure out the next move while he goes to find them transportation out of Tevinter leaving the choice to Rook.
The Smuggled Relic Case
Neve leads the party to Dock Town to meet the Shadow Dragons, a secret resistance group in Tevinter, for leads. Though Tarquin and The Viper have no leads on Solas they do tell Rook about a wave of slave rebellions and Venatori moving Lyrium artifacts through Dock Town. Given Solas’ previous patterns of behavior, Neve deduces that the slave uprisings are his doing. Given which Magister’s he’s hitting he must be looking for someone who knows a thing or two about Lyrium. Using a shard the Shadow Dragons give them they track the artifacts to the home of Albin Bataris, the son of a magister who has fallen in with Venatori cultists. They arrive to find Solas’ agents sneaking in through another entrance while Albin Bataris begins a blood ritual. Rook can decide to interrupt the Blood Ritual or intercept the agents.
If Rook interrupts the ritual the enslaved people that they free will ask Rook if they are with the Dreadwolf and will inform the party that Solas has been instructing those he free to travel to Arlathan forest to find a secret hiding place. If Rook intercepts Solas’ agents they will meet Reva, Solas’ ruthless second in command. They are here for a mysterious spell scroll that will aid in the plan to tear down the Veil. Though the team is too late they will find several missives in Bataris’s office that will give the crew more information on Venatori movements. They have supposedly been communing with Lusacan one of The Old Gods and following instructions to weaken the Veil through blood rituals.
Supernatural Aid
Harding brings the crew to report in with Charter an Inquisition agent. However when they arrive they find Morrigan alongside the spy. The witch’s presence alarms Harding because it means something has gone very wrong. Morrigan informs the group that The Inquisition is currently investigating what may be the start of another Blight. The Darkspawn have begun to appear where the Veil is thin. They suspect this may be the result of Solas’ meddling and remind the group of their mission’s urgency.
Rook reminds Morrigan that he’s not in charge of this mission. She replies by pointing out that Varric is not the one here and that Rook was made second in command for their penchant for daring exploits and bold plans which they now need more than ever.
Morrigan instructs Rook to seek out the Veil Jumpers in Arlathan Forest who are experts in ancient Elvhen artifacts and may have idea as to how the Lyrium Idol is connected to the Veil.
If Morrigan’s Ritual was preformed in Origins she will send her son, Keiran, with the party as a conditional Mage companion.
Away from Rook and the rest of the Veilguard we see Reva (she/they) step through an Eluvian to report back to Solas. While Solas preforms the spell to cleanse the dagger she urges Solas to allow them to take Varric & Rook off the board as a threat. Solas ignores their warnings and Reva warns him of sentimentality. He dismisses her instructing them to calling back Ishmael and their other agents in the crossroads. When Reva asks what Solas will do he is evasive something that clearly bothers the other elf but they acquiesce to their leaders request.
Chapter Three: The Dumat
Now with a new direction the team will rendezvous with Varric who has been arranging transportation for the team. Ringing in a favor from Isabella, Varric gets them passage on The Dumat, an old Lord of Fortune vessel that was stolen from the Antaam many years ago. The ship is a fixer upper but will act as the Veilguard’s home base for the first half of the game.
Chapter Four: In Entropy’s Grasp
They arrive from the sea to Arlathan Forest to find Strife and Irelin dealing with ancient magic welling up and Veil Jumpers going missing. They tell the Veilguard that the person who might be able to help them with their Red Lyrium artifact is Bellara Luttare who is one of the many Veil Jumpers who are missing. Rook & Varric split the party to go search for Bellara.
Rook finds Bellara who is eager to help but informs them that they are trapped in a Veil Bubble. A distortion of time caused by an artifact affecting the Veil nearby. After finding the artifact, The Nadas Dirthalen, and disactivating it the team manages to exit the Veil Bubble safely and into the night beyond.
Chapter Five: The End of the Beginning
They escape the Veil bubble to find they have spent too much time caught in its grasp. They find Solas already beginning his ritual in Arlathan Forest. They rush to find Varric and the others while the sky tears open. Reunited the group travels into Solas’ secret hideout that is eerily empty before coming out the other side to find the ritual site which Solas has been hiding in a veil bubble of his own.
The party fights through groups of spirits who seem loyal to Solas and his cause. Left with few other options, Varric attempts to talk Solas down one last time while Rook and the others keeps Spirits and Demons alike off his back. When the conversation takes a turn for the worse, Rook uses Varric’s distraction to their advantage. Taking a companion to knock over one of the Ritual statues Rook successfully interrupts Solas ritual. Meanwhile, the two old friends fight over the ritual dagger which results in Solas stabbing Varric. Before Solas can regain control of the ritual something escapes.
In an act of desperation Solas activates a spell that blasts them all back and knocks Rook out.
Rook finds themselves in a strange stark part of the Fade where they are met with Solas’ voice. Solas furious about Rook’s interruption begins to warn Rook about the dire consequences of what they’ve done. In the process of tearing down the Veil he was attempting to move the other Evanuris that he trapped away into a better prison— the one that they are in now. The two argue and pass blame while Solas tells Rook their interruption has bound them to The Fade. Rook refuses to hear any of this and attempts to wake up. Solas is doubtful of this but Rook strains against the magic of the Fade, finally waking up when they hear Varric call their name.
Tensions rise as the Divine’s search for Solas reaches a crescendo. Hoping to stop him before his plans to tear down the Veil succeed The Inquisitor sends a party led by Varric on a covert mission to steal an artifact crucial to Solas’ plans. Wanting an ace up his sleeve Varric brings on Rook— a wildcard with a penchant for daring exploits and unexpected plans. Even when their plan to get one foot ahead of the Dreadwolf goes astray Rook remains determined to thwart Solas no matter what it takes.
In their desperation, they accidentally unleash a double Blight and the tyrannical Elvhen Gods Solas was attempting to lock away. Plagued by dreams from the Dreadwolf and visions from the Fade, Rook quickly learns that disrupting the ritual has bound them to the Veil itself. Though this puts a target on their back Rook uses the strange new abilities this connection has granted them as a tool against the Evanuris.
Now all that remains is finding companions bold enough to take on any problem even the Blighted Gods themselves. As the Northern Thedas descends into chaos Rook and the rest of their party’s reputation grows as they begin to find allies in the most a unlikely places. From the depths of the Deep Roads to the Crows of Antiva to heights of the Inquistion, Rook has a talent for turning adversaries into allies. Even potentially finding a dangerous ally in the Dreadwolf himself.
Walking between worlds our hero stands on the edge of history as they race to save the world from the tyranny of the Evanuris. The truths they discover and the decisions they make will change Thedas forever. This is the time legends are born. But will you be remembered as the fool that doomed Thedas or will you join the ranks of the Heroes who have come before?
Welcome to Thedas Rook.
The Game is afoot. The board is set and it’s your move. Pawn to d4.
The goal of this rewrite is to enhance the things that Veilguard is attempting to do and enhance them. This is an outlet to explore a version of DA4 that goes deeper into the world of Thedas and its themes of oppression, faith, and the mindfxck of history. I will attempting to be adding layers to the politics, worldbuilding , and interpersonal dynamics throughout. I am using the Artbook as a jumping off point for some of the empty narrative areas of this story.
Signs & Portends
Chapter One: Tevinter Nights
Strange magics awaken across Thedas and the Divine suspects the Dreadwolf’s influence is at
