#the antivan crows

[raven-6-10]

Headcanon that "when you kill King Markus/when King Markus dies" is an Antivan Crow idiom for "never fucking ever".

[vorchagirl]

A gorgeous commission from the very talented @beemot of Viago de Riva and his vial of aphrodisiac from my viago x rook fic Pretty Little Crow 🥰🐦‍⬛

[lion-writer]

I’ve seen a lot of headcanons and fics where Viago disapproves of Rook getting together with Lucanis. And ones that focus on how an alliance with the De Rivas benefits House Dellamorte, which is definitely true, and i fucking love them, but consider Viago probably couldn’t possibly ask for a better partner for Rook.

Though to be fair I am obsessed with Viago and his belief that he could restore the royal power of Treviso and that “He will not be satisfied until he sits upon a throne.”

While as a talon, he’s definitely more powerful than the king, and he could probably easily overthrow his father and take the throne. But that's probably not his biggest issue, because as my old history teacher used to say, “Power cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred”, so by restoring the power of the royal family, he’d be taking power away from the merchant princes and the other talons. Which, it’s probably safe to assume they wouldn't be happy about”. (Also as a side note, the quote “It’s not paranoia if they’re out to get you” is applicable here. Viago is a man planning to make A Lot of enemies)

And remember, this man is still the 5th talon, and while he’s allied with Teia, she’s also only the 7th talon. (Though they definitely should have gotten a promotion after the events of 8 little talons). So he’s not really in any position to actually make any power play, not unless he wants to piss off 6 of the other houses. 

Thankfully, depending on the choices you make, by the end of Veilguard, he’s almost certainly up there among the most powerful people in Antiva, given that he was a key player in ending the occupation of a major city by the Antaam, not to mention the killing of a Literal Evil God. The only Antivans that could be more influential than him at this moment is Teia, who he’s dating and let's be honest, will eventually marry, Rook, who’s his protege, 

Among those people, Lucanis is probably the most politically powerful, given that he’s done everything Viago has, in addition to the fact that he actually killed a god, and is now The First Talon. While I feel that he would support Viago in the bid for the throne, he’s also the only one who Viago doesn’t have any sort of formal alliance with. And considering Viago’s general distrust towards basically everyone, he wouldn’t place that much trust in the bonds of friendship, (especially if you believe that he thinks that Lucanis’s attempt at flirting was a threat).

But given the general political upheaval Antiva is probably already in right now, because It’s highly doubtful that Governor Ivenci was the only guy to make deals with the Antaam or Venatori for power, there’s no better time for Viago to make a play for power. With everything so recent it would be so easy for him to step forwards as a figure for people to rally behind, I mean he exposed corruption in the government, he freed Treviso, he trained a god killer, and he’s the son of the king. But If he waits, he kinda does risk somebody else stepping forth.

But after Ivenci’s attempt at getting rid of the crows and the whole Illario debacle, the other Talons would be very suspicious of anyone trying to take power, and while Viago is a Crow, he’s also an infamous curmudgeon who doesn’t really get along with the others. 

Luckily, Lucanis is head over heels for Rook, which cements an alliance with House Dellamorte. And well, there’s quite a historical precedent, especially in Antiva, for alliances and weddings to go hand in hand. Not to mention the message it would send to the other talons for Viago to give away Rook, his protege for whom he has already demonstrated a soft spot for, to The First Talon, arguably The Face of the Crows. In addition, a grand high profile Wedding between two heroes who just saved the world, is the perfect thing for the general public to associate Viago with after everything. 

I mean I’m pretty sure he would still grumble about it and he’d definitely let Lucanis know that if he ever dared to hurt Rook, Lucanis would wish he was still trapped in the Ossuary. But once he’s certain that they’re serious about each other, Teia and him would be the first people to start bugging them about marriage.

[me-envenena-viago]

Viago Week 2025 • June 9th - 15th + June 16th (special day)

Hello, Viago enjoyers!

The Me Envenena Discord server is proud to present our very first event: Viago Week! We’ve curated a list of prompts to inspire you to go wild with creativity and show your appreciation for the Fifth Talon himself.

Rules:

First and foremost, have fun. This is the most important rule, if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it. We’re just here to appreciate and love our grumpy man.

No AI content is allowed. No exceptions.

Combining prompts is fine as long as you follow 2 rules: specify in your post what prompts were combined and specify if your post has NSFW content. It is acceptable to write NSFW content using the SFW prompts (or vice versa, if you want!), but please be sure to tag your content with the appropriate rating.

We are only accepting content related to the official prompts for the week, so please be sure to specify in your post what day and prompt it’s about, example: Day 1 - Control. It’s also required to include in your tags the prompts used and remember, again, to include the SFW or NSFW tag.

If, by any chance, you’d like to make content for our event with a theme different from our prompts, there will be an extra day for that! The 8th day (June 16th) will be used for whatever themes weren’t included in our list. Same rules apply to this type of content.

Post on the right day. If you’re combining prompts, pick one of selected days to post, do not post it twice. Please refrain from posting early to ensure that we are able to include your submission on the blog. You’re allowed to post a work meant for day 1 on a later date or after the week is over.

We’re aware timezones are a thing, but you shouldn’t worry too much about posting in the time frame of the mods being available. As long as you post in the day, following whatever timezone you’re in, it should be fine.

When we announce the week, you should start preparing for it. But please don’t post works that already exist or were already posted, we want new and shiny creations that were made for this event in specific.

Pick your poison. Pun intended! Fanart, fanfic, virtual photography, moodboards, gif sets, collages, edits - these are all valid forms to participate in the event. You’re allowed to create more than one work for each day, go crazy with your creativity.

It’s required to use our tags #Viago Week 2025 and #Me Envenena Server and at us (@viagoweek) in your creations. Remember, we can only find your post to reblog if you tag it correctly - besides, we’d like to leave a comment on your works to show our support and love. Beyond that, please tag your content appropriately for any trigger warnings, Dead Dove is allowed as long as it’s tagged as such.

No ship bashing allowed. This is an event about Viago and all of his ships, be it popular or a rare pair, they’re all valid. Also, not everything needs to be about romantic ships, platonic is just fine depending on the prompt. OC’s that aren’t Rooks are also allowed.

Do not belittle other people’s works or other people in this event. Saying nothing is better than commenting something mean and unnecessary. Be cordial.

The prompts are the following:

SFW:

Control/Lack of Control

Deadly Garden/Poison Lab

Unusual Encounters/Expected Encounters

Music or Arts/Dancing

Unrequited Love/Meant to be

Alternate Universe

Talon/King

NSFW:

Sensory Deprivation/Tentacles (Can be blight or not)

Knife and Blood Play/Humiliation Kink

Edging and Overstim/Wax Play

Substance and Poison Use/Pegging

Danger Kink/To Feel Safe In Your Arms

Emotional Sex/Casual Sex

Omegaverse/Coming without being touched

Don't be shy! You can participate in any day you want, be it all seven + one of them or anything in-between.

Even if you can't join the event, you can participate by reblogging the entries, dropping a like and leaving a comment for our lovely content creators out there. Reminder that artists, writers and creatives always appreciate any interaction on their works - we're not islands, folks.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

A cornerstone of the Antivan economy is young scribes, artisans and kitchen workers working very, very hard in the hopes that someday they might be recognized for their work by being... recruited to the Antivan Crows as an assassin so they can kill people like their bosses and make bank.

Assassin Cinderella stories.

[larxicana]

For a while there I was seeing some people draw the boys like renaissance paintings and wanted to jump on the wagon. Love a good body study.

---

Pls don't repost my stuff tyyyy <3

[bonesofapoet]

if I've learned anything about myself at all since I started playing dragon age it's that if there is an antivan crow anywhere near me I will probably fall in love with them. I will risk it all for them. zevran, viago, teia, lucanis, illario, ROOK -

[elishnord]

Tell me your name. Antiva

Or — the hard times of being a linguist. Want some etymology?

The name "Lucanis"

The name Lucanis is not a commonly attested historical name in major European naming traditions — it does not appear in standard onomastic dictionaries of Latin, Greek, or Romance languages. However, based on its structure and root elements, several plausible etymological hypotheses can be proposed.

Main Theories

Derived from Latin Lucanus ("from Lucania")

Lucania was a historical region in southern Italy (now Basilicata and part of Calabria).

In antiquity, Lucanus functioned as an adjective ("Lucanian") and as a cognomen (family nickname).

The suffix ‑is may indicate a possessive form or an Hellenized rendering: "belonging to Lucania", "a Lucanian".

Meaning: "from Lucania", "a Lucanian".

Connection to Latin lux ("light")

The root luc‑ derives from lux (light), which is the source of names like Lucius, Lucas, and Lucianus.

Lucanis could be a stylistic variation blending the toponymic element (Lucanus) with the semantic field of "light".

Meaning: indirectly — "light", "shining" (by association with Lucius/Lucas).

Greek Influence (suffix ‑is)

The ‑is suffix is typical of Greek names and forms. Given the strong Greek influence in southern Italy, a hybrid form is possible: a Latin base with Greek morphology.

Meaning: could be interpreted as "descendant of/belonging to [the land/clan] of Lucania" in a Hellenized guise.

Modern Neo‑Latin Construction

The name may be an authorial neologism modeled on ancient names (like Lucianus, Lucius), but with the less common suffix ‑anis/‑an‑is.

This technique is often used in fantasy literature or when selecting an unusual name with an "ancient" flavor.

Meaning: loosely — "of the Lucanian lineage" or "light" (in the spirit of classical names).

Derivatives and Variants

Short forms: Luca, Luke, Luc, Nis/Niss (in colloquial use).

Affectionate forms: Lucy (in English‑speaking contexts), Luka/Luki, Nino (influenced by Romance diminutives).

Related names: Lucas, Lucius, Lucianus, Lucano (Italian), Luciano (Spanish, Italian).

Conclusion

The most defensible theory is that Lucanis is a variation based on Latin Lucanus ("from Lucania"), possibly inflected with semantic resonance from lux ("light"). In contemporary contexts, the name may be used as a stylistic homage to antiquity or as an original name with a "historical" undertone.

I think, to me, he'll be Nino forever from now on. 😁

The Name "Illario"

The name Illario appears to be a variant or adapted form related to the classical name Hilarion (Иларион in Russian). Below are the most plausible etymological pathways and cultural contexts.

1. Greek Root: Hilaros (ἱλαρός)

The ultimate source is the Ancient Greek adjective ἱλαρός (hilaros), meaning cheerful, joyful, or merry.

From this root derives the Greek personal name Ἱλαρίων (Hilarion), which carries the sense of one who is joyful or bringer of joy.

Illario can be seen as a phonetic or stylistic adaptation of Hilarion, possibly influenced by Romance‑language sound patterns (Italian, Spanish, etc.).

2. Transmission via Byzantine and Orthodox Tradition

The name entered Slavic and Eastern Christian onomasticon through Byzantine Christianity. Saint Hilarion the Great (4th century) and other early saints helped popularize it in monastic and lay usage.

In Russian, the form Иларион (Hilarion/Ilarion) became standard, especially in ecclesiastical contexts. The variant Илларион (Illarion) with double л emerged as a secular or regional variant, particularly in the 19th‑century Russian usage (as noted by linguist L. P. Kalakutskaya).

Illario may represent a further Westernized or literary re‑rendering of this Slavic/Byzantine name, smoothing the phonology for non‑Slavic ears.

3. Possible Romance‑Language Influences

The ending ‑io is common in Italian and Spanish male names (e.g., Mario, Lucio, Fabio), which may have shaped the adaptation Illario as a more “international” or fiction‑friendly version.

In Italianate contexts, the name might be perceived as having a mild classical or Renaissance flair, even if not attested in historical Italian records.

4. Modern and Fictional Usage

Illario is rare as a real‑world given name but appears occasionally in literature, games, or creative works as an evocative “ancient‑sounding” or pan‑European name.

Its resonance with hilaris/hilaros allows authors to imbue the character with connotations of light‑heartedness, wit, or inner joy, even if the exact historical pedigree is loose.

Summary of Meaning and Lineage

Core meaning: "joyful", "cheerful" (from Greek hilaros).

Lineage: Greek Hilarion → Byzantine/Slavic Иларион/Илларион → possible Western adaptation Illario.

Cultural notes:

In Slavic Orthodox contexts, the name bears a venerable, sometimes monastic association.

In modern fictional or international contexts, Illario reads as a stylized, mildly exotic name with classical echoes.

Diminutives and Variants (for narrative or informal use)

Short forms: Ila, Lario, Larry (anglicized).

Affectionate: Larik, Laryo, Illarik (drawing on Slavic diminutive patterns).

Related names: Hilarion, Ilarion, Illarion, Ilario (Italian), Hilarión (Spanish).

Yeah, our hilarious lad! 😅

The Name "Andarateia"

The name Andarateia appears to be a constructed or literary name, likely drawing on classical (Latin/Greek) and fantasy‑genre conventions. Below are the most plausible etymological pathways and semantic resonances.

1. Latin Root Andare (“to go, to walk”)

The stem Anda‑ may derive from Latin andare (to go, to walk), a verb common in Romance languages (cf. Italian andare, Spanish andar).

Suffix ‑ateia is not standard Latin but resembles Hellenized formations (Greek ‑ateia, as in basileia “kingdom”), suggesting a poetic or mythicized extension: “the one who goes,” “the wayfarer,” or “she who walks her path.”

In a narrative context, this could connote mobility, questing, or agency — fitting for a character like Andarateia Cantori, who moves between worlds and roles.

2. Greek Influences and Aesthetic Resonances

The ending ‑ateia echoes Greek feminine names and abstract nouns (e.g., eudaimonia “flourishing,” arete “excellence” + ‑ia). It gives the name a classical, almost epic tone.

Possible semantic overtones:

Arete (ἀρετή, “excellence, virtue”) + Anda‑: “virtuous wayfarer” or “one who walks in excellence.”

Anemos (ἄνεμος, “wind”) by sound association: “wind‑walker” or “swift as wind” — a subtle nod to stealth and speed (apt for an Antivan Crow).

The vowel flow (A‑n‑da‑ra‑te‑i‑a) mimics Homeric and Hesiodic name patterns, enhancing its mythic feel.

3. Fantasy‑Genre and Worldbuilding Context (Dragon Age)

In the Dragon Age universe, names often blend real‑world linguistic elements with invented or regional twists. Andarate dialogues with:

Antivan naming conventions (fluid, melodic, often Latin‑tinged).

Elven lexical aesthetics (though Andarateia is a city elf, her name avoids the typical “Dales elven” morphology, signaling her assimilation into Antivan culture).

Her title, “Seventh Talon,” pairs martial imagery (Talon) with numerological mystique (Seventh), while the personal name Andarateia adds a layer of grace and cunning — a balance of elegance and edge.

4. Possible Onomatopoeic and Character‑Driven Nuances

The name’s rhythm (An‑da‑ra‑TE‑i‑a) suggests:

Stealth and fluidity (the soft n, d, r; the gliding i‑a coda).

A hint of danger (the hard t in te) under a lyrical surface — mirroring her dual role as seducer and assassin.

Phonetic echoes of “dance” or “dart” may subtly reinforce her agility and performative skill.

Summary

Core Etymology: Likely a neo‑Latin or Hellenized invention, built on anda‑ (“go, walk”) and a Greek‑style suffix ‑ateia.

Meaning Resonances: “She who walks her path,” “virtuous wayfarer,” or “wind‑swift one” — with overtones of journey, excellence, and stealth.

Narrative Function: The name balances classical gravitas with a fluid, almost musical quality, suiting a character who is both assassin and performer, outsider and insider.

Cultural Placement: In Dragon Age, it signals Antivan sophistication and elven adaptability, without tying her too closely to any single ethnic register.

Note: As a fictional name, Andarateia has no attested historical root but is crafted to evoke classical myth, romance‑language fluidity, and fantasy‑world depth.