Finally beat Veilguard after 108 hours with everything maxed out. You can imagine how it ended.
The game got me good. I was surprised multiple times by the plot twists and by the choices I actually made. I had planned to start with the Mourn Watch, but I heard the calling of the Grey Wardens once again so back into the fray (grey?) I went. As a long-time dwarven player, the faction was incredibly satisfying: plenty of reactivity as a Grey Warden and way more reactivity than I expected for the dwarven lineage.
Davrin was also another surprise considering that he wasn't even on my radar. There wasn't that much information out there on his character compared to a few others. Besides I had "been there, done that" with romancing Grey Wardens with none of them being successful. (Alistair left. Blackwall became Thom Rainer so it technically didn't count. =p) I thought Davrin would just be the generic warrior of the group. There wasn't anything mysterious left about the Grey Wardens, right? Right?
Yeah. I was wrong again. I knew I was in trouble when I started laughing at his dry comments during his recruitment quest. We just vibed for the rest of the game. I enjoyed his character growth and I appreciated his kindness towards Harding. Those two were my ride-or-die to the very end.
Needless to say, I went into Act 3 completely blind. I thought I was prepared. I was not. It was just one emotional gut punch after another. Yeah. Outstanding cinematics though! You could really feel the scale of the battle and how high the stakes were. Truly top notch.
DATV started out as a bit of a slog, but went out with a bang. My Aeducan declined the Dark Ritual all the way back in Origins and I always wondered what that meant long-term for the dwarves. Was it the right choice? Was my logic sound? Veilguard provided enough answers with the retroactive closure that I needed and the hopeful future that I wanted.
@rookappreciationweek A day late and a dollar short, but I hope it is still acceptable!
Disclaimer: This fic *definitely* makes reference to my AU world-state in which all 6 origins are around and participating members of the Veilguard. However, Jadal Thorne is "Rook" in this AU.
F!Rook Thorne x Lace Harding
Word Count: 1,025
Jadal cursed softly and jerked her hand back from the plant. She looked down at her hand, watching as blood welled up from the small pinpricks in her thumb and pointed finger. Who would keep plants that can bite you? And why did she love her anyway? With a huff, Jadal raised her hand toward her face only to have it suddenly pulled away. Harding’s warm hands wrapped around her own, soothing and soft despite the calluses. Jadal offered no resistance, just watching curiously.
“The roses got you?” Harding asked as she pulled a cloth from her pocket and pressed it to Jadal’s fingertips. The pressure hurt, but not badly. Jadal had certainly felt worse before. Jadal took the moment to study Harding. The way the skin around her eyes crinkled a little when she was focused, and her nose would scrunch up a little bit. She tended to bite her lip too, when she was really focused intently. It was endearing. And then of course, there was the sheer delight in being casually touched. It had taken months to get here. There was still a curve when it came to more intimate touch, like kissing, but they were getting there. And it was so worth it. Every minute of it, and every accidental lyrium poisoning. Is that what taking lyrium felt like to humans and elves? Because if it was, she understood how they got addicted.
“Yeah,” Jadal answered a bit lamely. Harding looked up from her hand and smiled back at her. “I don’t think I’m going to make a very good farmer. Even the plants are biting me,” Jadal said with a grin. Harding’s eyes sparked at that. It felt a bit like she could not breathe. The urge to kiss Harding was overwhelming with her so close. Just inches away, still holding her hand. Jadal’s eyes dropped down to Harding’s lips. When they could finally touch without fear she was going to kiss Harding for an entire day without stopping. Maybe a whole week. And she was going to touch every inch of her and never stop.
“A farmer?” Harding’s question dragged Jadal’s thoughts back into the realm of decency and Jadal flushed, the dark skin of her cheeks tingeing with red. She cleared her throat a bit awkwardly, certain that Harding knew what she had been thinking. Embarrassing, but she was pretty sure Harding thought the same thing sometimes. She had caught the scout staring at her shoulders sometimes, especially when she was training. And when they were working in close quarters, Harding’s hands had done a lot more than “accidentally” brush against her hips and ass a few times. At least through clothing there seemed to be some protection.
“Yes? I thought-I figured since everything is calm here, that you would want to go home. To Ferelden.” Jadal realized she had not actually asked Harding what she wanted to do. When they were chasing Solas it seemed pointless, and maybe a little cruel, to ask. And it had only been a week. But everyone was talking about their plans. They would all take turns keeping watch over the Lighthouse, just to make sure, but it would give everyone long periods of time to do their own things, live their own lives. Neve and Mercar were going back to Minrathous, of course, to work with Rana Savas. Jadal was pretty certain they would be making frequent trips to Treviso for Lucanis though. De Riva already basically lived in Minrathous. Ingellvar was spending a lot of time in Rivain, and not with Taash and Laidir. Emmrich was going back to Nevarra, and Davrin was still deciding whether to try connecting with his Clan. What Bellara and Aldwir were getting up to was a mystery because the two never seemed to make up their minds.
“Is that not what you want?” Jadal asked nervously when she realized Harding had not said anything. “I should have-”
“I had not thought about it,” Harding cut her off and sat back, kneeling on the stone. “That’s not true. I was trying not to think about it. You’re still a Grey Warden, and there is still the Veilguard. I haven’t been home in so long.” Jadal gave Harding’s hand a squeeze.
“I’m not a Grey Warden anymore. Well, maybe I am. Whatever it means now. I’ve got my independence now. But even if I am, I can be a Grey Warden anywhere. Even on the farm.” Harding smiled back. It felt weird to say that. For as long as she could remember, a Grey Warden was all that she wanted to be. They were heroes, real heroes, who helped people and fought monsters. Jadal could still remember balancing on wobbly fences or pushing through crowds of tall humans as a child to see the Grey Wardens walk through town. The shining armor, the cheers, the way people talked about the Wardens even when they weren’t there. She had wanted a piece of that, to protect people, save the world. To be seen, to be loved.
And now she was seen and loved by the most important person in the world.
“You really want to be a farmer?”
“Well, I’d really like to try. For you, and for Ma.” That got a wide grin from Harding.
“Oh, Ma is going to love you,” Harding laughed. Jadal’s grin widened, threatening to split her entire face. She straightened up onto her knees properly and tugged at Harding’s hand, pulling her closer. And then she kissed her, taking the risk. Kissing Harding Harding was a bit like quicksand - slow, patient, but it drew you in relentlessly until you were too deep to ever get out. The softness of her lips, the heat of her breath, the taste of her, the way she was yielding without being passive. Jadal tumbled into that quicksand without hesitation, reaching up to hold Harding’s face in her hands. But just as she started to go under, Harding pulled back. Jadal opened her eyes, disappointed the kiss had ended, but pleased to see that Harding was not glowing lyrium blue. Progress.
I got a delightful commission of Fimrila Thorne, a dwarven Grey Warden in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, from @catebees. I adore the messy bun (honestly my favorite thing) and the no-nonsense demeanor (as requested)! She's absolutely spot on. Fantastic style and great vibes. Thank you, Cate!
Credits/artist information you must bookmark:
• Catebees' Flash Commissions info
• Catebees' Ko Fi gallery for other amazing OCs to look through
I have to release the wild ramble I had about dwarf Thorne that I shared in discord, especially with how my girl, Kal, is grappling with (gestures) everything. Under a read more since its a smidge long
You are a dwarf who joins the Grey Wardens- you survive drinking the blood of your future enemies. Then you learn about the Calling. You learn to survive, to sense darkspawn, you make your identity as a *Warden* through and through
Then you save a village, disobeying orders and that's ripped from you.
But its okay, you're still a Warden, its in your blood now. They can strip you of your rank but *never* of who you are.
Then you're rook. Then you're the leader of a small strike team fighting against elven gods. You comfort your elven friend struggling with her sense of self as her gods wreak havoc.
You help your other dwarf friend learn magic, stone magic, stone sense like you've heard about. She dreams now. That's fine, you're still who you've always been.
Then you find the memories of the Dread Wolf. You're learning more about his regrets. A side note is about how he destroyed your ancestors with his kin. That's... not great, but you're still just a dwarf. You're a grey warden.
Then you learn that their dreams became the blight. The darkspawn rose from that blight. The blight is in your blood now, you are fighting the remnants of who your people used to be.
Are you still you? You've changed so much, you look like a dwarf, you act like a grey warden, but who are you anymore now that you know the truth about how your ancestors were ruined and how you drank their blighted blood. You've never been so close yet so far from what it means to be you
Then pair it with the fact that she falls in love with Lace Harding, child of titans. She's got a lot going on, both of you are confused about your identities now.
But you also know you got the short end of the stick, the blight, the darkspawn, the calling of the damned pets that belong to the people who ruined your titan ancestors
[DAY 31] 31 Days of DA: Introduce your Rook - Fimrila Thorne
A teeny bit late, but I'm still gonna toss this up after a long day of downloading! Meet Fimrila Thorne!
A mere month ago, I was dead set on a Mourn Watch dwarf, but seeing the Grey Wardens in the release trailer last week got me weak in the knees. I went back and forth for days, but once I was finally in the CC, it just felt so right to be a Grey Warden again. I'm stoked to be in the same faction with Evka Ivo -- it's gonna be great!
I didn't pick a face tattoo because 1) I had no idea which represented what because there were no labels (come on, really?) and 2) I have no idea if the game will let me declare myself as being from Orzammar or a casteless or a surfacer. We shall see. So far, I am LOVING the chats with Harding and being acknowledged as a dwarf here and there in general conversations. My heart is full!
[31 Days of Dragon Age prompts]
Lighthouse screenshot under the cut. Probably mild spoilers. (It's just Neve, Harding and Thorne chatting around the table. No text is shown.)
