#non-rook de riva

[kabsey]

I've been tinkering with the thought of how fun it would be if in certain faction-specific quests, the faction member that could have been Rook is assigned to you as a temporary companion.

Because I live in Crow mode, the example I've thought of the most is Viago assigning his protege to accompany Rook to the Ossuary. Because I find it hard to believe that the Crows (as suspicious as they are) and especially Viago (the living embodiment of paranoia) would just send strangers to rescue Lucanis.

I also very much believe that Lucanis would have been far more affected, physically and emotionally, from his time in the Ossuary than we see in the game. (Obviously both this and the whole idea of temporary companions are incompatible with many realities of game design. But that's what fanfiction is for!)

And so I present to you another drabble that may or may not ever become something real (my specialty!).

-------

As the last Venatori slumped to the floor with a broken neck, Dellamorte nearly followed. He braced himself on his knees, breathing heavily, his gaunt frame clearly exhausted by the sudden expenditure of energy. Ilene waved Rook back and approached her fellow Crow slowly while ensuring her footsteps were audible.

Despite her caution, Dellamorte snapped up the moment she drew near, and the glowing purple wings burst from his back again.

"Who are you?" he rasped. "Who sent you?"

Ilene swallowed down a number of her usual glib replies and kept the even expression she wore when addressing any Talon besides Viago and Teia.

"I'm Ilene de Riva," she answered. "Viago sent me."

Dellamorte squinted at her with tear-filled eyes; the light in his cell had clearly been much dimmer than the area they were in now.

"His protégé."

"Yes," she affirmed, though Viago hated when people called her that.

His gaze drifted to Rook. "And them?"

"A client. They have a contract with Caterina."

"What kind of contract?"

"In exchange for getting you out, she's promised them your help with something."

He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but she shook her head. "I'll explain more when we're out of here."

After staring Rook down for another moment, Dellamorte turned back to Ilene. "I have to finish my current contract first."

She nodded. "Who?"

"The warden of this place. Calivan."

"Do you know where he is?"

"We can find him," Dellamorte replied, and the wings on his back fluttered. "But we need to find the vial they took of my blood first. Otherwise he can use it to control me."

"All right. Let's get started then." She pulled the dagger from the small of her back and flipped it to offer it hilt first. "Until we find your equipment."

"Thank you," he said with a nod.

Rook approached. "Maybe you should let us handle the fighting."

Ilene turned a disbelieving stare on them. Dellamorte was already walking away. "Well, now you're just being insulting."

"What?" Rook muttered. "He looks like a stiff breeze would knock him over."

Ilene just shook her head and followed her fellow Crow. Even a half-dead Lucanis Dellamorte was more than a match for any mage. A half-dead Lucanis Dellamorte with magic wings and a spark of fury in his eyes?

The Venatori didn't have a chance.

[okthisway]

[void-bitten-ghost]

Rook de Riva, mid-interrogation with a Venatori spy, pressing the knife they borrowed from Lucanis so very gently against their throat: If you don't spill your guts, I'll be forced to slit you from dick to mouth and wear you as a finely *presses harder* tailored *draws blood* cape...

Lucanis, still shocked to stillness from when Rook placed their hand on his chest to unsheathe his knife: I. I think. I have The Bli gh t

[whereismywarden]

[loustica]

DATV — Coffee With The Crows

[Non Binary Dialogue Option]

"Perhaps it's closer than I thought." Yeah, Lucanis, they're standing right next to you actually <3

[too-many-lavellans]

Tryna make good on a promise we made long ago to have a primarily hand-axe wielding character, by making an Antivan Crow flavoured Raider's Cleaver for Iero.

[flowersforthemachines]

Remembered I talked about it under one post but never actually posted this here.

Here's a (rough) visualisation of how many times Rook's faction is referenced in conversations. Based on the pics, from most to least referenced it goes like this:

Grey Wardens > Mourn Watch > Antivan Crows > Shadow Dragons > Veil Jumpers > Lords of Fortune

[melody-loka]

Lucena de Vertbois

Alert! New OC I had in mind who finally have a design XDD I present to you Lucena de Vertbois, Ambroise's (one of my Rook) mother.

Coming from Val Royaux, she have been gifted to Fulgeno II in exchange of commercial rights between her family and Antiva's royal family. She will be one of the many mistress of the king and will give birth only one year after her arrival to her only kid with Fulgeno : Ambre (After his transition, he will rename himself Ambroise).

Seven years later, she watches her kid taken away by the crows as they chose to follow this path. Three years after this event, Fulgeno give her to one of his advisors.

This advisor was already in love with her for years and was ready to adopt to his own discretion her kid if they have chose exile. She is the model of his paintings and they will have three kids together.

Even so, sometimes, Lucena look at a window and ask herself how her little chess champion is doing.

[wishforhome]

control

2,354 words | rated M | viago/rook

Vero has barely made it back onto the walls when they catch sight of Viago, stalking towards them like a storm. When he reaches them, he grabs hold of their arm, and his fingers press into bruises they can feel rising beneath the thick leather of their armour. "Come with me," he says. He is furious, as though they have not just killed two blighted dragons (or perhaps because they have) and there is some part of Vero that wants to protest, to pull away, to – "Now," Viago says, and he tugs at them until they stumble towards him, and then after him. Their body betrays them, as it often does where he is concerned, following as though leashed.

Read on AO3

This is for Day 1 of Viago Week: Control.

I brushed off an old WIP and tried to polish it up and finish it off. I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with it, but I don't want to stress about it too much so I'm publishing it as-is!

@viagoweek

[vaguely-concerned]

you know what I think I was kind of cooking with caterina/johanna hezenkoss as a concept actually. it's giving gilf andruil/ghilan'nain narrative echoes and also if hezenkoss teaches caterina to become a lich/become basically immortal by other and probably even more immoral means lucanis won't have to be first talon anymore and can focus on what he likes about the job (i.e. the actually killing people part not the admin work). everybody wins (*glados voice* ...except the ones who are dead. BUT THERE'S NO SENSE CRYING OVER EVERY MISTAKE --) . here's how toxic yuri can still save the day and also make it worse

[thedragonagelesbian]

Wait also now im curious

[nashcandream]

Oh NOW random screenshots want to upload to the Xbox network.

That smile though. 🥹😭❤️

I wish Lore had a different expression but that’s okay. I still love them. They are also very ready for their hair to be pulled back again.

I just finished a few things in Minrathous and it rained the entire time the little team was there. I know what the rain and humidity does to my curly hair lol I like the idea that no one really knew how much hair they had until today. Which happens to me a lot when I wear my hair down or have a puffy curl day.

—

The BG3 break was needed because I kept hitting a wall with gameplay. The pace of Veilguard has been a relief, though I will be immensely sad when it’s over. It already feels too short of a game. But I have complicated feelings over the series ending. Like a strange form of mourning and grieving.

I know I’ll have to take a break from Veilguard before finishing it. Who knows when that’ll happen. I get so emotional, I’ll probably just keep restarting playthroughs before I allow myself to see the end game.

I’ll just keep enjoying the journey and delving into fanfic in the meantime.

[kindlyfeline]

six songs soundtrack game 🎶

tagged by my angel bestie @trash-nerd thank you soooo much ♡

RULES: make a post with links to music and/or lyrics describing six things/events about your OC/story.

gently tagging: @xhollowfaerie @dellamortte @flowersforthemachines @operative-arrow @championofthefade @skullypettibone @blightedcrow @introvertedfangrl + @lotusrhys and anyone that wants to!!!

Maya de Riva

notre dame by paris paloma - this song is basically why i even started writing 'i'm sorry i'm the one you love'. it's how she felt pre-veilguard and how she still feels in treviso

"i'm lonely on the fringes and it gives my life some meaning in the exile, in my exile."

philadelphia by alt-j - viago.

"good god, i feel your hands on me. in the dying of the light my agressor runs under the lamps. morning light they'll get to see the crime committed on me."

which witch by florence and the machine - how she felt after being exiled from the crows. and sorta just about her crow training in general

"and it's my whole heart deemed and delivered a crime" ... "been in the dark since the day we met" ... "chained and shackled, oh. all that gravel, oh. it's a pity, oh. never to return, but i never learn. it's a pity, oh."

i'm your man by mitski - maya believes she's not good enough for lucanis. she has an existential dread and fear that she'll lose him in some way, whether it be because he gets sick of her or he gets killed. also i love loyal dog analogies 😘

"i'm sorry i'm the one you love. no one will ever love me like you again."

gtfo by doechii + fetish - she ain't got time for no bitch. this is also how i imagine she is after lucaya marriage ......... yeah it's maya dellamorte now bitches and she is smug as fck

"i be on these bitches minds, in they head just like a comb. i'm too grown, i'm too on, i'm too rich and i'm too stoned. what the fuck is you on? get the fuck out my home." ... "get the fuck out my way bitch."

echo of my shadow by aurora - this song is maya @ lucanis; it's how she comforts him in the middle of the night after a nightmare, how she supports him when he feels weak.

"stay right here, stay in the light, my dear. until the love you crave falls in your arms. i know your mind moves like the rain sometimes, if you can't rise for us, do it for love."

[grad-writes]

snippets from Rookie 59

Rook and Illario engage in a friendly sparring match.

They threw themselves into the fight with renewed vigour. Their audience roared their approval, with louder and louder calls for their favoured to win—interspersed with Viago's own biting remarks. There was a brightness to Illario's eyes, Rook thought as she spun around him, that there wasn't usually when he sparred. He was used to fighting his cousin. Rook was a new challenge.

The tight sparring circle and the vulnerability of the crowd limited the both of them—Illario couldn't throw his knives and Rook couldn't use half her spells. To compensate, Illario was forced to use more of his skills in hand-to-hand combat, and Rook had to get… creative.

The Fledgelings hollered when Rook froze Illario's foot to the ground—a smirk on her face as she danced away from the swing of his sword. He dropped to a crouch to smash the ice with his pommel, then reached out and yanked her ankle out from beneath her. She fell on her ass with an undignified yelp. But when he stepped forward to try and press his advantage, he was met abruptly with his own reflection—a swift ice wall erected between him and Rook. He smashed it again with huff.

They chased and caught, darted and spun—they played in a way Rook didn't usually get to when fighting. At one point, she sent disorientating little sparks of lightning to crackle by his ears. At another, Illario smacked her mage orb with the flat of his sword to send it flying into the depths of the crowd. (Timetri Cantori had leapt like a bird to catch it and toss it back into the ring). In response, Rook surrounded him entirely in an ice barricade, too thick for him to break—until he was forced to climb over it rather ungainly to escape. When she tried to slip by him, snorting with laughter, he snatched the tail of her tunic and tugged sharply. She fell on her ass for the sixth time, which made him grin—even if he was completely dusted in ice shards.

"Enough!" Emmeline finally called an end to the match. "Your techniques are becoming juvenile."

Illario lowered his sword as the crowd burst into applause and loud cheers and complaints. He inclined his head politely towards Emmeline and Viago, then turned to offer Rook a hand. She grabbed it—but kicked his legs out from under him instead.

His knees hit the ground and he ended up sprawled beside her. "Real mature, Rook," he complained with a groan.

She just laughed breathlessly. 

Read more on ao3

[springagainafter]

Huh. Got this line during the Smuggled Relic Case and was absolutely expecting Rook to respond and instead Lucanis was the only one to comment.

Checked Youtube and found other vids where only Bellara or only Harding reply to her.

It looks like playing as a Shadow Dragon Rook is the only scenario where Rook actually says anything there?

(If so, another win for Shadow Dragon Rook - "Stopping Venatori is both our jobs" is a good thing for Neve to hear).

[itsrainingpandas]

While I understand people feeling annoyed that Rook is left out of the book club and think that's totally valid, for me it is an essential part of my Rook's hot dummy lore.

She's never read a full book in her life and she certainly isn't going to start now.