or: brood has had many thoughts about the crows and lucanis for a long time now
While this meta is about Lucanis and Veilguard, I need to begin with Zevran.
In DAO, Zevran takes a job he knows he cannot do. But after the Warden unexpectedly spares him, he becomes a Crow on the run—and he stays a Crow on the run for the rest of his life. It is important to consider this, and to consider that Zevran is no one in particular, not politically. He is not important to the Crows' politics or to any politics outside of that organization. Essentially, he's one of many.
Despite this, the Crows hunt him.
There is no choice for anyone to stop being a Crow, ever. It is a lifelong commitment for even the most ordinary and unremarkable (again, speaking politically, although also in terms of skill) among them. For Lucanis Dellamorte, grandson of Caterina, the current First Talon? For Lucanis Dellamorte, who has been trained and groomed to succeed Caterina? For Lucanis Dellamorte, who is uniquely skilled amongst the Crows, so much so that he got his own unique moniker and was the immediate recommendation for Rook's team?
If there was no choice for Zevran, there is certainly no choice for Lucanis. His preferences are immaterial. His desires are immaterial. His duty is paramount—it is treated as paramount by those around him, and it has been drilled into him that it is paramount. And Lucanis is deeply bonded with all those he considers family, even when those relationships are deeply strained; this absolutely includes Caterina.
Caterina is abusive. We learn as much in game. It is treated as unremarkable by Lucanis, inevitable, and that tells us something that is repeatedly confirmed: the Crows, as an organization, are abusive. Their training is torture now, just as it was for Zevran.
If he had been able to make a choice, to step down, to say "no," that would have shown the Crows in a softened light. One could argue that it might only have shown Caterina in a softened light, but we have to remember that Veilguard is doing two things at once with their characters: they are showing them as individuals, and they are showing them as representatives. Caterina is one of the faces of the Crows, both in-world and within the narrative. The fact that she is abusive has a narrative parallel. The fact that she doesn't give Lucanis a choice has a narrative parallel. The fact that she announces his new role in public has a narrative parallel.
The Crows are an organization. Part of that is performance, as performances establish and formalize conceptual, abstract principles. There is a veneer of glamor and glory that is a thin coating over the force and demand, and that, too, has a narrative parallel.
If Lucanis could choose, could say no, that would undermine what the game had spent so long showing us. That underneath the witticisms and the flowery language of freedom and protection lay a violent demand. We see this even in the visuals of the Crows: they have ornate, elaborate outfits. But no amount of preening and presentation will change the knife in their hand or the blood on it.
It's not softening, it's a misdirect. And it's not even that much of a misdirect, as the game repeatedly reiterates that, yes, these are killers. Lucanis, for all his kindness, for all his warmth, for all his sweet care for others, is himself a cold-blooded killer. He will take contracts and he will fulfill them. It seems that in his story he leaves some people alive and leaves innocents alive, which reflects favorably on his personal morals, but it does not make him other than what he is.
It is also a mercy that is permissible under the guise of precision and skill. He kills only who he must! That is skillful! Even if there is mercy in it—and to be clear, I think there is—the mercy can be ignored when other Crows are interpreting what he's done. That, imo, shows a deep political savviness as well, which makes sense to me, as Lucanis has been navigating the upper echelons of the Crows for so long.
So there is no way, narratively, for Lucanis to turn down the role of First Talon. A Crow has no real options… but a wily Crow can find routes within the limits, and Lucanis is a wily Crow. He will not be Caterina. Nor is it realistic to assume the Crows will be completely transformed under his leadership, especially considering the inter-organizational tensions and the very real possibly that a league of trained assassins could—and probably will—try to assassinate the First Talon, especially if he immediately starts making drastic changes that are counter to their established identity.
Even saying yes to an offer he cannot say no to will not save him, but it will limit the risk. And, notably, it will all but eliminate the risk to those he cares about. But a Lucanis who turns against the Crows? Who denies the title that is seen as his birthright, his destiny, Caterina's true legacy? That Lucanis will be a target not just of political opportunists within the Crows, but of the Crows themselves. And that Lucanis becomes a free-for-all, protected by none; and the Crows, brutal as they are, may well seek out those he cares about. Illario, possibly, but I'm thinking more of a Rook he is friends with or partnered with, or Neve. They might also go after others from the Veilguard, perhaps viewing them all as potential allies of their deserter leader.
Because the thing is… the Crows, as an organization, cannot abide someone, anyone, leaving. But they especially cannot abide a would-be-leader leaving. If Lucanis can turn his back on the Crows, can sever his ties to the organization, and can live, then who else may? The organization itself cannot tolerate that.
I speak of "the organization" as an abstract but thinking-feeling entity, which I think is fairly accurate. No one Crow embodies the entirety of the organizations' self-concept, but rather, all Crows embody elements of it, propaganda and performance and promise, suave words laid over cutting edges, all aware of the violence just beneath. And, as is always the case with such organizations, organizations that could easily and accurately be compared to cults, (I am not making light of cults/authoritarian control groups by saying that, mind. I am utilizing the BITE model) the inter-community elements are meant to create an internal narrative that is constantly reinforced, until it becomes second-nature and largely unquestioned. For instance, I fully believe that Viago believes that the Crows are protecting Antiva. That the Crows are the thin line between safety and annihilation. That Treviso, under the rule of the Crows, is free.
But Viago is and has been part of the Crows. He is and has been influenced by their concepts through constant exposure. And I think that he, as an individual, wants that to be the case. He wants the Crows to be defending Treviso, to be defending Antiva, even if, at the organizational level, it is more accurate to say that they are defending themselves.
We are seeing inside the cult. Thus, we are unlikely to see significant deviation away from the prevailing ideology. But the fact that recruits are tortured, the fact that the Crows are a league of assassins, the fact that they hold so much power over Treviso, these are things we are shown and these are things we are meant to know. None of it is made secret to us. None of it is subtle. And this, coming from a videogame franchise that has represented organizations based on authoritarian control multiple times: the Chantry, the Templars, the Circles, and yes, the Crows…
What's more, we see that in Thedas, assassin leagues are largely accepted so long as they are considered part of the area they operate in. Orlais' House of Repose, for instance. Even Josephine insists that the House of Repose must follow their contracts, that they are obligated to abide by their own rules.
Of course, anything could be different. Veilguard might have chosen a different message and, with it, a different route to support that message. The Crows might have been changed. Many things might have happened, and I'm not criticizing anyone who wanted those different things to happen. But within the narrative we got, I think that all elements make a lot of sense and cohere very effectively.
i'm gonna repost this with just the meta bc the first chunk was just very personal and i would like to include the companion meta in this masterlist... but not necessarily the personal stuff 😂
Veilguard Companions and Relationships
in davg, not one of the companions has an entirely healthy or sustainable approach to relationships of any type
it's hard for lace. she grew up learning how to make herself approachable, acceptable, pleasant. she made herself tolerable to everyone. she was young and vulnerable and she learned quick that it was safer if she conformed. if she made herself reflect the person she was talking to. if she doesn't stand up for herself, doesn't make waves, just lets things slide...
and lucanis picks up on that immediately. lucanis, who's a professional assassin, sees lace lying to make people happy and recognizes the behavior instantly. i'm still wrapping my mind around him, but to me, this implies that he - or possibly illario, i suppose - went through something similar; that, or that part of their training was around deceiving people, lulling them into a sense of security, and then betraying that. but to see lace doing it with her friends? i think that strikes him as very fundamentally different
and that's not even digging into the complexity between him and caterina...
then we have taash, who has been making themselves fit into a box their whole life. and now, finally able to step foot outside that box, they are loud about it, they are unapologetic, they are claiming and they are angry. and they know that shathann cares about them, in her way, that they matter to her, but it's not enough and it's not right and it's not the way taash needs to be loved and supported, so they're angry about that relationship, too; angry and regretful at the end that they could never come to a point of understanding one another. that's a very real grief. but they're also rough around the edges, they're harsh, they're critical, they're quick to anger and quick to hold grudges and slow to apologize if they ever do. yet they reach out and, with a little help, they're able to cross bridges, able to understand different ways of being. they're no longer constrained by grief and repression, and that allows them to be vulnerable in a way they struggled to before
and bellara. my current rook only does the stern/crossed arms options, and y'know, some of them are really harsh. and there have been times that bel has approved of that? and i don't... look, i admit there are multiple interpretations to everything, but like i said at the start, this is personal. so, to me, this is a neurodivergent woman used to being Too Much For Anyone and just accepting any criticism and rolling with it. she doesn't let herself feel hurt by it. she approves of it. she's used to being alone, and rook/irelin/strife/anyone who has ever even potentially criticized her is Probably Right, but it's fine, because she works better alone, anyway! and look at what she can do - she has these skills! it's okay if no one likes to spend much time with her, because she can be useful. and there's always the memory of cyrian, someone who not only accepted her, but loved her the way she was. no one can measure up to that, surely. it's because cyrian was special. she can't expect anything like that from anyone else... so she doesn't
davrin is one of the healthier companions in many ways, i think, but he's also used to a very particular type of relationship and i think he's fumbling a little without that familiar structure. these aren't wardens bonding over a shared struggle. and even though he felt on the outside of his clan, he also shared good times with them, but that was an intrinsic bond, the people he'd known his whole life, the people who shaped him. having to connect with people he has no shared history with is strange and unfamiliar, but he does it anyway - with all of them. and with assan. everything is so new for him, but he takes the opportunity, he wants the opportunity... but at the same time, he's so afraid of leaving everybody behind. he knows what it is to grieve, but does not want to be the reason they grieve. he wants to connect, and he does, but there's a very real fear there
and neve. god, neve. neve is the woman alone. she trusts no one, because they won't last. they'll leave. or, worse, they'll die - and it'll be her fault. again. she can't do that, so she doesn't trust. she accepts partnerships, but not friendships, certainly not relationships. she asks you to help her save her home, but she's not surprised if you save treviso instead. she's professional. after all, she's always been alone. and she should be - it's better this way. no strings attached. she can do what needs to be done, she can focus. no distractions. no trouble. no loose ends. (it's easier this way, surely)
and emmrich! emmrich. outwardly, he seems very put-together. he's very, very compassionate, very gentle, and always believes in everybody - even solas. and then he tells johanna that he would have helped her, if she'd just come to him, and that's when it clicks. he is loyal... to a fault.
don't misunderstand: i love johanna. i love their relationship, however you want to view it. but emmrich will not set anyone aside, he will not give up on anyone. he is scared to die, but he puts himself at great risk to save spirits he doesn't even know. and he doesn't have to know them to care about them. he is incredibly self-sacrificing, willing to risk not only death, but all of his life. by which i mean: his days, his time, his energy, his will, his focus, his faith. every part of his life, he is willing to dedicate to others. he can't be selfish. he can't take what he needs, or what he wants. he always gives, instead
and if you follow through on their companion quests and all, then each of these people grow. they find balance; some find a lot of balance, some are just finding the very beginning of the path, some go back and forth. and i'm sure the romances affect things, too. but there is not a single companion who has an entirely healthy approach to relationships of any kind, and none of them are children; they are all adults. some young adults, yes, but still all adults, and yet they struggle openly with relationships
and that's cathartic to see. that's representative. that's realistic and earnest. and it just means a lot to me
