drakorn

[drakorn]

[drakorn]

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

[drakorn]

Hello, I came across your Veilguard rewrites and so far, I like it! 🤩

I finished watching/catching up with the story and companions in Veilguard and personally, I really enjoyed it and all it had to offer, but it could be just me as I am sorta open to adding stuff to further enhance the experience in 😅.

Although I got question regarding Taash 🤔. Before getting into Veilguard, I was prepared to hate them or Bellara because of the amount of thumbnails I saw of videos showcasing why the game sucks, but now they're both my baes 🥰 after everything. But anyway! My main question is how you would handle Taash's nonbinary pronouns. I understand that it's sorta one of the main talking points in how the game is bad and admittedly, I do understand how the whole pronouns thing could ruin the whole fantasy vibe for everything (I swear I know there is a better word to describe it but I forgot ;;)

But from what I know so far, I don't know if there's a medieval or fantasy term for nonbinary 😅. I know there are other terms for transgender, but I'm lost on how they would describe nonbinary. How would you handle it? I am genuinely curious if there's a proper term for it ;; (Also to get it out there, as much as I love how Taash's personal companion quest was handled, especially regarding their relationship with their mom, I love your idea of Taash confiding in some people in the Lords of Fortune about their identity. Because I can see that happening with them and it really set up with how nervous about opening up about it with their mother. But that's just me and hope you have a good day! 😁)

Hello!

Sorry for my late reply, had a few busy days so only just getting to it.

Thank you for this very excellent question, which I shall happily answer.

The pronouns themselves are actually no issue at all, since they/them was used as early as in the 14th century. Not necessarily in English, there was a lot of French involved there, but the idea for gender-neutral pronouns was there for a lot longer than some people realise. Obviously it wasn't used in the capacity it is today, but it was there. So using they/them shouldn't really kill any vibes.

As for non-binary, it's just not going to be used at all. Something I liked about Inquisition in particular as one of the older entries, was how they made it crystal-clear what someone's sexuality or identity was without using modern language for it. We know Dorian is gay, we know Sera is lesbian, we know Krem is trans, but none of them ever use those words. Instead we have something like Dorian's "I prefer the company of men", as well as the tension and drama from his meeting with his father.

So, for Taash, I would use something similar. Instead of saying "I am non-binary", perhaps a case could be made for something like "I am neither man nor woman, there are no lines in the sand for me. I am what I am."

[drakorn]

In our recent Rewriting Veilguard entry, we get to choose whether we want to recruit Neve or Bellara. Which one would you like to see first?

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Part 9 - The Dumat

Rewriting Veilguard Part 8 - The Inquisition

Disclaimer: I don't hate the game, I actually think it's quite great given the development hell Bioware went through in those 10 years. This is more of a hypothetical universe where there was less of that behind the scenes drama. Just a fun writing exercise.

Exploring the Dumat Submarine

Last time we decided to use the original concept of the Dumat submarine as our hub for the game, so I thought to dedicate this next entry to the ship alone, as we just entered a little breather phase between main missions. We just finished the prologue, got our title card, were recruited into the Northern arm of the shadow Inquisition, and are about to embark on our quest to stop the Dread Wolf. But before we can do that, we must acquaint ourselves with our base a little, so we shall do just that!

We shall now take a look at what immediately happens once the title card fades away, the Dumat as a ship, its contents, the NPCs you can meet there, and the upgrades you can perform on it. Let’s get right into it!

The Inquisitor Departs

Once the title card fades, we have another cutscene that shows the Dumat quietly floating beneath the moonlit waters.

Rook and Varric meet the Inquisitor and Charter at the captain’s cabin. Lavellan informs us that she and her Spymaster must depart the ship now, for their presence is bound to eventually draw some unwanted attention from the enemy, especially in the Inquisitor’s case. We notice that she seems a bit hesitant when speaking about the Dread Wolf.

NOTE: In this World State, the Inquisitor romanced Solas and swore to redeem him.

We do not get to question that yet. Charter lets us know that Harding has her contact details if we ever need to reach her, whereas the Inquisitor remains silent about her future whereabouts. She just says that she will monitor the proceedings of the war between Tevinter and the Antaam and use her resources to help however she can, as well as perhaps draw the attention of Fen’Harel’s agents to distract the Dread Wolf from us. But she’s confident we will meet again, and sooner than we think. Leaving the operation to Varric, the two bid each other farewell.

Isabela enters and informs them that their transport is ready. The Inquisitor and Charter depart, leaving us in charge of the Dumat.

Varric tells us to get accustomed to the ship before doing anything else; it truly is a masterwork of magic and technology blending into one. When we’re ready, we must make to the meeting chamber and discuss our first moves. He leaves us to it.

Now we get to control Rook again, so let’s…take a little tour, shall we?

Exploring the Dumat

The Dumat is a submarine in every sense of its functions, that much is true. But we must not forget that this is still a fantasy game, so the goal isn’t to make it look like a submarine as we know one from our time. We’re going to have some fun.

It should be mentioned that the Dumat isn’t made from metal, but from the same dark rock as most buildings in Minrathous. But that’s only one part of it. The Dumat may have been built in Tevinter, with Tevene materials, but she was built by dwarves and mages alike. Enchantments and runes are carved into the walls in aesthetically pleasing ways, the entire construction lives and breathes magic, just like Minrathous.

When we move through the submarine, it looks like we’re walking through an underwater mansion. There are arcane lights everywhere, floating orbs, and so much more. The Dumat is a submarine, yes, but it is very much integrated into the setting. And now, we get to take a look.

The Captain’s Cabin

The captain’s cabin is Isabela’s place, where she resides and plans. It is filled with trophies from her past exploits, as well as one or two memos from her time in Kirkwall. Isabela herself frequents either the cabin or the bridge mostly, but it is to note that NPCs can and will change rooms occasionally.

We can talk to Isabela here and ask her about her life and past adventures, even about that business with the Tome of Koslun if we pry hard enough.

Isabela is also the person we see about upgrading the Dumat, but we shall return to this topic later.

The Bridge

The bridge is located not very far away from the captain’s cabin and is one of the central locations on the Dumat. It is located above the majority of the ship, in a room with magically protected glass, allowing us to see what awaits us ahead. Isabela will occasionally be found here, steering the ship where it needs to go.

Rook’s Chamber

Rook’s chamber is a very comfortable and relaxing place. And I’m actually going to go out on a whim and say that it looks pretty much like the one we see at the Lighthouse in Veilguard, just a bit larger and containing an actual bed. But I love this whole aquarium window idea.

Here’s where we can find missives addressed directly to us. Personal stuff, mementoes, things like that. Here, we can also find the appearance-changing mirror that will allow us to enter the character creator once again.

The Common Area

The common area is this big lounging area, positioned in front of this transparent glass wall that lets us look into the ocean. A magically-powered arcane fire roars in a nearby fireplace. There are tables, couches, and books aplenty. Here’s where we shall be having some more relaxing times later. Many characters will often converge here for banter-related purposes.

The Armoury

The armoury is pretty self-explanatory. Here’s where we can purchase weapons and armour, as well as upgrade them! It is located somewhere in the back of the Dumat, where the loud sounds won’t disturb anyone.

And here’s where we’ll meet two more members of our crew. As Rook enters, a man immediately jumps at her and begins taking her measurements, exclaiming that yes, finally, finally, he can begin crafting new masterpieces! Another, much calmer man, pulls him aside and says “Wade, not this again. Take a deep breath.”

Yes, we’re bringing back Wade and Herren, the iconic duo from Origins. They did have a small war table quest in DAI, but here they are back in the flesh. Rook and her team need a true master craftsman to equip them, so a master we shall receive, as well as his very much needed stop button called Herren.

Wade immediately insists upon crafting the most amazing things ever, to which Herren quickly calms him down, apologising profusely to us. While Herren sells us normal stuff, Wade can do the special items for us. Just like in DAO, we’re gonna need pretty exquisite materials.

The Room of Runes

The room of runes is a pretty mysterious place aboard the Dumat. It’s pretty much the anchor for all runic activity that protects and powers the ship. Yes, there are dwarven runes all over the place, but this is the heart of it all. Each rune that can be found on the Dumat has its larger replica here. Powerful enchantments everywhere. It actually looks rather beautiful, as though we stepped into a glittering underground cave filled with various little stars.

As soon as we enter the room, we see a dwarven man with short blonde hair and piercing, striking blue eyes. When we greet him, he only has one word for us: “Enchantment!”

Another dwarf joins us, older, with greying dark hair, who introduces himself as Bodahn Feddic, and the young man next to him is his dear boy Sandal. “Say hello, Sandal!” “Hello!”

Yes, there is the other iconic duo form DAO that I’m bringing back here, because…why not? If this is the last entry in the saga, we may as well start tying up all lose ends.

The Feddics are back, oh yes! They are much older, true, but they are still the same people. Bodahn tells us that Varric brought them here from Kirkwall to, once again, do some good. Bodahn wanted to retire, but if his boy is meant for great things, he won’t be far behind to support him. I also need Sandal for something later in the story, but we’ll talk about that another time.

As you guessed, this is the place we go to for rune crafting, whenever we need enchantments. Sandal is going to be very happy to provide some. Bodahn, as always, is a merchant from whom we can buy our everyday stuff. He can also be found in the common area for the sake of ease.

The Garden

This is Harding’s place, a beautiful garden area located in the more central area of the Dumat. Originally intended as a place of quiet meditation, Harding found a better use for it by repurposing it into an underground garden. A magical light causes the plants here to grow.

This is the first time we can have a proper, long conversation with Harding, where we learn about her relationship to Varric and the Inquisition as a whole, and how she came to serve in the first place.

We also get some info regarding her and Varric’s hunt for Solas, as well as her opinion on him. She tells us that, yes, as a Dalish, we may see Solas as this purely evil trickster god, but he was something else at Skyhold. As a very devout Dalish, we quietly dismiss this as Fen’Harel tricking everyone into believing that he is more than irredeemably evil.

The Meeting Chamber

This is basically Dreadwolf’s version of the war room. Here’s where all the mission briefings happen. We can also often find reports from across all Thedas. Who knows, we might even have our own version of war table missions later.

This is one of the areas Varric often occupies, like in this case. We can ask him about how his story began, even though we know the official, famous version of it. If we like, we can listen to some brief recaps of the past few games through his point of view and how it seems like he just can’t get out of this shit.

We can also inquire as to what’s happening in Kirkwall right now. Varric, who is still the Viscount, says that he left Aveline in charge while he’s on this job. It is still the shithole it was years ago, but it is improving, at least he hopes so.

Of course, there are more rooms on the Dumat, but we shall unlock them as we move on through the story and add to her expanding crew. So I shall simply add on to them as we go along.

Upgrades

Let’s touch on the topic of upgrades now. I think the Dumat is an excellent opportunity to bring back a proper system to upgrade your base. Vigil’s Keep had one, Skyhold had…a very lite version of one, the Normandy had a pretty cool one in ME2. If anything, I believe we should be inspired by the Normandy when it comes to this.

There are story-relevant upgrades, as well as flavour and aesthetics. And all of them can be purchased from Isabela. The upgrades we have available to us at the beginning of the game are as follows:

Cloaking Runes: Give the Dumat a way to blend into the environment, rendering her effectively invisible seamlessly.

Dragon’s Breath: Provide the front of the ship with a powerful runic beam that she can fire from her maw.

Greater Movement: Provide more freedom of movement to the ship, causing her to be more fluid and less static.

Restoration Pool: Add a green-shimmering pool to Rook’s chamber, allowing her to reskin and respec.

Now comes one of the effects of disbanding the Inquisition: none of the upgrades have been commissioned and applied yet. Isabela explains that the Inquisition doesn’t have as many resources as it once did, and what it did have was mostly used to construct the Dumat.

Had we kept the Inquisition the big official organisation, we would be having more funds now, and those starter upgrades, as well as some decorations, would have already been purchased. But as it stands now, we’re going to have to provide the cash.

Mission Briefing

When we’re done exploring the currently accessible areas of the Dumat, Rook, Varric, and Harding all gather in the meeting chamber, where Varric will introduce us to the first two missions we can choose from:

The Dread Wolf is one of the most elusive beings in Thedas right now. As such, we need someone who is an expert in finding even the most cunningly evasive people. That would be Neve Gallus, a detective operating from Minrathous. From what we know, she’s currently looking into those blood collars that are meant to be used in the war against the Qunari. If we help her out, she can be persuaded to join us.

The Dread Wolf is an ancient elf, a god even. As such, it takes someone with great knowledge of the ancient elven world to figure out how exactly he plans to tear down the Veil. Varric would have usually suggested Merrill, but…we know how that worked out. As a Veil Jumper ourselves, we will immediately suggest Bellara Lutare, who has a track record of investigating the most ancient and dangerous artefacts found in Arlathan Forest. Varric is pleased, for he would have suggested her himself.

We now have a choice between us. Do we travel to Minrathous and assist Neve in her blood collar case? Or do we return to Arlathan Forest and seek out Bellara? One way or another, we need both of them.

And there you have it! A bit of a shorter entry this time around, but I really just wanted to give a bit of an overview as to what the Dumat is going to be like. There will be more, of course. Next time we shall see whether we help Neve or Bellara first, so get ready for some exciting location returns/introductions. Stay tuned!

[drakorn]

Huh...I did not see that one coming.

Rewriting Veilguard Romance

On the topic of romances, who should our rewrite's version of Rook, Ashara Aldwir, romance? (I do plan to touch on all of them, but I need one to put specific focus on).

[drakorn]

Fiiiiiiineeeeeeee, have it your way.

For my Veilguard rewrite, should I have my canon Inquisitor, Elera Lavellan, be romanced to Solas so that we can shed some extra-detailed light on what this version of Solavellan would be like? Or should I stick to my canon World State of Cullavellan? I have a feeling this is going to be a very one-sided vote.

[drakorn]

Just saw your post in the rewrite group and wanted to check who won the main Rook poll, and given your surprise towards the result, I just wanted to offer an insight into why at least one person voted that way. When I first saw the poll, I was about to vote Grey Warden, because the effects of the Blight changing and revelations regarding the Archdemons seems like the most interesting character exploration to go through to me. But then I saw that races and classes had already been picked out for each faction, and had to debate whether an elf or dwarf was more thematically compelling, and that's really difficult to pick. The fact that the Veil Jumper was also a mage and had a connection to Merrill (even if my personal belief is that she'd tear Solas a new one if she ever met him) is what tipped me over. In the actual game, Veil Jumpers are my second least favorite faction, so I'd never have voted for them without the specific Rook you'd created and the changes you made. My biggest issues with them were the lack of Merrill's presence and significance, the lack of actual Dalish identity and beliefs, and the being based in Arlathan despite that seeming to be where Solas was taking his Agents in the credits of Trespasser, and you fixed or explained most, if not all, of that. That being said, if the Grey Warden had been an elf, especially a Dalish Mage, I probably still would've gone with my first pick.

As for the group you initially thought would win, I can only speak for my own opinions, but I've just never seen a point in that faction. Granted, your origin story does a better job of creating emotional investment, but logically, I would still occasionally wonder why they felt the need to take the Lucerni underground, what possessed them to call the new group the Shadow Dragons, and where Fenris and his allies from the comics were in all this. I would've enjoyed a more grassroots uprising of mostly lower-class individuals, possibly led by the infamous Blue Wraith himself, but I just don't feel a strong connection to the built-in bureaucracy and middle management vibes of the Shadow Dragons. Again though, that's all personal preference, and as someone who'd prefer the Shadow Dragons to be fully cut from the game, I do appreciate the changes you've made for a version where they still exist. The increased acknowledgement of slavery and Tevinter politics alone is an infinite improvement over what was actually in the game. I'd still have minor things to nitpick on, but that's true in all 3 of the previous games, and I actually loved playing all of those. Also, even though they still wouldn't have been my top pick, if the specific Rook from this faction had been an elf (or even a qunari for this one specifically), they would've been a lot closer to the top than they are as a human for me. Mostly because humans don't really get any interesting revelations like any of the other races. The Maker thing was kind of wishy washy and inconclusive, so the only way I could see myself picking a human Rook is if we somehow got to play as the barbarian daughter of Andraste that was discussed as a potential companion in the art book. The Origins city elf levels of sass you could have towards Tevinter Magisters would be so entertaining.

Anyway, keep up the good work! I just wanted to give an insight into my own personal reasons for voting the way I did, some of which might be applicable to others. I know you've said you didn't hate the game, but despite my best efforts and greatest hopes, I unfortunately did, so the fact that your rewrite is shaping up to be something I could see myself not only tolerating, but actually enjoying, multiple playthroughs of (without just scrapping the majority of the game too!) is a pretty significant achievement.

If you're curious, I voted for the Solas romance, both for plot reasons and because I've never gotten over my grudge against Cullen 😅. And for Rook's love interest, I prefer narrative foils, which I didn't feel any companion except maybe Harding would be, but I can't get over thinking Dagna or Sandal should've taken her place (they already made her personality more like Dagna's anyway). Taash would be my next pick, but I was scared about how they'd be represented and dumbly voted before realizing you and I seem to be on the exact same page with them (10/10, no notes!), so I ended up going with Lucanis because I gravitate towards mixed race pairings, and his attachment to Spite seemed fun in relation to the first elves coming from spirits. In hindsight, I'd obviously go with Taash, though. The bluntness works so much better with someone who already knows who they are, and it never made sense to me that they'd get their knowledge of gender stuff from the country that treated Mae and Krem like shit instead of the canonically most socially progressive country in Thedas, Rivain, where they already live, especially with Hollix existing, because even if Tevinter took an Orlesian stance on things, that still doesn't explain how the binary trans peeps over there got the divine knowledge of gender possibilities outside of that binary imparted on them. I also absolutely think an insight into what being nonbinary feels like without hiding behind the word itself and trusting that to get the point across would be so much more beneficial for fostering understanding in uninformed cis players and improving their attitude towards real nb people, and I think the most impactful self-realization story would be one for Rook themself. Like, especially if you came from a more sheltered background. You could talk to trans NPCs and Taash throughout the game and have the option to start wondering about yourself and try different names, pronouns, and/or looks to see what felt most comfortable, and it would give the most personal insight into what actively transitioning in Thedas is like.

Sorry for how long this got. You're a brilliant writer, I look forward to seeing what other changes you make, and I am so glad to find someone on the exact same page as me about Taash! Stay amazing! Dareth shiral!

So this might have been the longest dm I've ever gotten on this site, WOW.

Yeaaaaaaah, I determined race and class for the origins because I wanted to have variety in what could be chosen. And I wanted all options to be something I would personally enjoy playing/writing, otherwise my motivation would have taken a bit of a damper, admittedly.

I too would have loved to see more Merrill (or Merrill at all) with the Veil Jumpers, but can understand why they didn't include her since she is dead in some people's World States. And since they chose to omit World States entirely, they can't under any circumstances include characters that could have died, since that would be invalidating some people's headcanons (since headcanons is all we have in Veilguard now). So I chose a bit of a compromise by making her part of the Veil Jumpers if she's both alive and if you pick the Veil Jumpers as your origin story. Because obviously, in the main campaign, she's going to be with Fen'Harel when we first meet her.

The same goes for Fenris. I would have loved to see him be a leading figure in the slave rebellions of Tevinter, but, again, he can die in DA2, so his role can't be too central. If Fenris and Merrill dying wasn't on the table in DA2, they would have much more expansive roles in the rewrite. Like Isabela! She can't die in DA2, so I had the liberty to make her more integral to the plot by making her the Dumat's captain.

I love many of the concept art book's ideas, generally I think Joplin would have been the much better DA4, an opinion I see reflected time and time again. I will certainly incorporate Joplin elements in the rewrite, like the submarine, which I already introduced in Part 8. But there will be others. While I will keep Veilguard's companions, I miiiiiiight play around with NPCs that are based on the Joplin concepts.

Hey, I can totally understand if people hate the game. But I still find redeemable qualities about it. I think the gameplay is fun, and the art design is gorgeous. And some missions are genuinely well-made, in my opinion. Unfortunately, what didn't work far outweighs what did. But again, I'm not trying to sound objective here, this is all my opinion. I respect everyone who loved or hated the game. I just find myself somewhere in the middle.

Looking at the poll, I'm confident that Solas is gonna win it, which...yeah, okay. I'm personally not a fan of Solavellan, but am willing to write it for this project because it obviously has plot significance.

Yeah, my biggest criticism about Taash's journey of self-discovery was that they weren't even aware of gender identities before coming to Tevinter, when Rivain, where they live, is so much more open-minded about this. To see Tevinter, and not Rivain, suddenly represented as the beacon of progressiveness kinda diminishes the struggles Dorian and Krem faced. I'm all for discovering new lore and new details, but not if it comes at the expense of previous characters' arcs and struggles.

Anyway, thank you VERY MUCH for the message, anon! I'm glad to be able to have such insightful discussions here.

[drakorn]

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Romance

On the topic of romances, who should our rewrite's version of Rook, Ashara Aldwir, romance? (I do plan to touch on all of them, but I need one to put specific focus on).

[drakorn]

For my Veilguard rewrite, should I have my canon Inquisitor, Elera Lavellan, be romanced to Solas so that we can shed some extra-detailed light on what this version of Solavellan would be like? Or should I stick to my canon World State of Cullavellan? I have a feeling this is going to be a very one-sided vote.

[drakorn]

If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Masterpost

This post contains the links to all entries in my ongoing "Rewriting Veilguard" series. I shall pin it so that you may always find it with ease.

Prologue

Part 1 - The World State

Part 2 - The Shadow Dragons

Part 3 - The Grey Wardens

Part 4 - The Veil Jumpers

Part 5 - The Antivan Crows

Part 6 - The Mourn Watchers

Part 7 - The Lords of Fortune

Part 8 - The Inquisition

Act 1

Part 9 - The Dumat

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Part 8 - The Inquisition

Rewriting Veilguard Part 7 - The Lords of Fortune

Disclaimer: I don't hate the game, I actually think it's quite great given the development hell Bioware went through in those 10 years. This is more of a hypothetical universe where there was less of that behind the scenes drama. Just a fun writing exercise.

Reintroducing the Inquisition

It is now time, time to finally move away from the origin story missions. Now, the main story begins. We have explored the potential depths of what each factions’ origin story may bring to Veilguard as a whole. But what about the glue that brings them all together? What about the Inquisition?

In this chapter of my ongoing rewrite project, we shall look into how the Inquisition, and by extension, the main story, may be introduced into the game. As I’ve often said, I don’t really like how DAV just throws you into the confrontation with Solas without any prior build-up. It was quite apparent that, despite DAV doing away with World States, one is expected to understand at least the general plot of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and while Varric’s little narration tells us what we need to know to understand Solas’ role in the story, it’s not enough to make us care. Obviously, I cared because I played the previous game, but if we want DAV to stand on its own, like the previous games succeed, we need to do some more work.

So, without further ado, let’s get right into it. This is how I would introduce Veilguard’s main quest.

Our Canon Rook

In case you might have missed it, I recently held a poll about which of the six origin stories we would be using for our hypothetical playthrough of this rewrite, and the choice fell on the Veil Jumpers. So, for the duration of this rewrite and this World State in general, our Rook is going to be Ashara Aldwir, a Dalish mage.

That being said, occasionally, I will touch upon how the other Rooks may react to situations and characters more fitting for them. For instance, I will describe how a Shadow Dragon Rook reacts to returning to Minrathous and meeting Neve Gallus again. I will also describe how an Antivan Crow Rook would react to encountering Lucanis. Things like that. But for the most part, it’s going to be Aldwir from now on.

Travelling with Varric

So, we choose to stick with our Veil Jumper, and at this point the people watching this hypothetical stream are going to whoop and cheer with relief because this guy has finally stopped with the damn origin stories. Now we can get into the main story.

We get a small transitional scene narrated by Varric, which shows a map of Thedas, specifically our journey out of the Arlathan Forest, quite similar to what we get in the actual Veilguard. Varric tells us that what we’ve seen of the agents of Fen’Harel is just a fraction of what we should be worrying about, but that we first have to attend a certain meeting.

It should be noted that each origin will have a unique narration and map display. While Varric talks to Aldwir about Fen’Harel’s agents, he’ll speak to Mercar about the Venatori and the war effort instead. But all in all, it amounts to them having to make a stop somewhere at the Eyes of Nocen.

The Eyes of Nocen are a large geographical landmass in the North-East of Tevinter, not far away from the cities of Ventus and Carastes, which have both been overtaken by the Qunari between Trespasser and Veilguard. There is also some interesting lore surrounding that place, which we’ll get to later.

On the Road

When we return back to in-game cinematics, we find Rook and Varric travelling through the Tevinter countryside at dusk. At this point, we can ask about where exactly we’re going and what we’re hoping to find here.

As we walk, Varric begins telling us that there are people who have been working to stop the Dread Wolf’s plans for the past decade. But since resources are sparse and only a handful of people are trustworthy, such efforts can’t be spoken of out in the open.

Since we’re playing a Dalish elf, we get to voice our disbelief that the Dread Wolf is actually supposed to be walking Thedas right now. But we’ve seen Revas, we’ve seen the agents of Fen’Harel. And we’ve seen Merrill’s betrayal. That last part is something Varric is clearly hurt by. We can ask him about Merrill and why she would let herself be deceived by the Trickster God. Since we imported a World State where Hawke romanced Merrill, Varric states that Merrill experienced great loss and that this might be her way of trying to set things right. We as players can begin to guess that perhaps Merrill is hoping to get Hawke back from the Fade. But even without the romance, Merrill is someone who tries to restore old and lost knowledge. It would have been easy for Solas to convince her to join his efforts.

We proceed further down the road, until we are met with a distressing sight: a battlefield, and a very recent one at that. We come across the remnants of a skirmish between the Antaam of Seheron and Tevinter troops who were sent to retake some of the occupied lands. It’s an image of absolute carnage, war, and death. Since we’re playing a Veil Jumper, we get a short dialogue by Varric in which he breaks down the conflict between Tevinter and the Qunari. As a Veil Jumper, we know the Antaam for what it did to Arlathan Forest a few years ago. Without them, the Veil Jumpers wouldn’t exist. It’s an example of something good coming out of something very bad.

The Scout

As Rook and Varric traverse the battlefield, they are suddenly approached by a surviving group of Antaam warriors, who are looking for Tevinter legionnaires that might have escaped their blades.

They circle us and demand to know who we are, what we want, and where we’re off to. Varric, having plenty of experience with the Qunari up until this point, tries to talk our way out of it. Here’s a small choice to be made:

Do we silently prepare for battle?

Or do we contribute to Varric’s attempt to talk?

Since we’re a pretty confident Dalish elf, we’ll chime in, but that only leads to some unwanted attention. Since we’re a mage, they immediately see us as Saarebas and therefore too dangerous to be seen walking around unshackled. We bristle at that and get ready to fight. Varric simply shrugs. Reasoning with the Antaam has never quite worked out for him. But this small exchange showed Varric that we’re eager to talk first before hitting people.

Just as the Qunari are about to attack, their group leader is struck down by a well-placed arrow in the eye. At this point, another, very familiar face joins the scene: Scout Lace Harding! She thinks we could use a little help, to which Varric responds that the odds are even now, even though the Qunari still rather outnumber us.

We fight the Qunari with Varric and Harding at our side. It’s a short battle mostly serving to introduce Harding to the party, and we make rather short work of our enemies.

What follows is Harding’s proper introduction. She is happy to see Varric and intrigued by Rook. So, this is the one Varric chose for this mission, the integral part that will give us an edge. Varric confirms this, a bonus being that Fen’Harel’s agents presume us dead. Harding tenses. So we did meet them? Yes, and Merrill and Abelas were among them. Troubling news, indeed. Even more reason to get to our destination as quickly as possible. Harding then tells Varric that everything is ready. Everyone’s just waiting for us. Well, Varric says, then we shouldn’t keep them waiting. Rook is about to meet some very esteemed company.

But before we press on, Harding mentions that she was tracking a group of Antaam soldiers who rounded up some Tevinter slaves with the intention of bringing them to Seheron, and suggests we free them. Varric is generally for the idea, but worries that our numbers might be too sparse.

So, now we get to make a choice:

Do we take this small detour to free the slaves?

Or do we not risk further battle and quietly move on?

This right here is going to be the first of many smaller choices we get to make in the game. Before Veilguard came out, people spoke of how incredibly reactive it would be, how it, while not having a World State, would compensate by having many intricate choices on its own. This didn’t quite happen the way I thought it would, so let us entertain the idea of what minor reactive consequences could look like if placed in the proper moments.

We are a Dalish elf. We know what slavery is and what it did to our people. We know that the Antaam survivors who ended up founding D’Meta’s Crossing with Clan Morlyn were essentially slaves to the Qunari. We’re not going to let anyone share in this fate if we can help it. We choose to take the detour and free the slaves.

Freeing the Slaves

Once our trio is on the same page, we follow Harding to a small Qunari encampment on the battlefield. It’s absolutely nothing fancy, just a temporary base. The slaves aren’t hard to find as they’re all cooped up in an improvised large cage, guarded by Antaam warriors.

After a brief and slightly more difficult fight, the Qunari are defeated and we free the slaves. And here’s when we notice something rather dark: the slaves are all wearing collars. If you recall our Shadow Dragon origin story, the Imperator of Tevinter’s legions, Magister Laskaris, introduced the blood magic collar as a way to combat the Qunari threat. And seeing it here means that he’s already implementing in in small doses amidst the army, permitting the use of blood magic.

We are horrified by this discovery and see that the slaves have no way of getting them off. They tell us that the Centurio who led this party performed a blood magic spell to bind them to his will, as per Laskaris’ instructions. The Centurio in question is still alive, about to be given the qamek treatment, which would render him a mindless puppet.

We tell the slaves to wait here until we’ve dealt with the Centurio. So we proceed further through the encampment, fighting off a few more Qunari along the way, until we get to the leader’s tent. The leader in question is a Sten (no, not our Sten, that one’s the Arishok now).

We make it just in time before the qamek is able to be applied to the Tevinter mage screaming in absolute panic. And here’s where we get to make another smaller choice:

Do we save the Centurio?

Or do we let him be mind-wiped?

As a Dalish elf and someone who came here to free slaves, we are furious about these new blood collars. But we’re also not someone who exposes people to fates worse than death, that’s not who we are. So we hurry up and blast the Sten into the Void before he can apply the qamek.

With all the Qunari dead, the Centurio is now free as the sole military survivor of this small campaign. Now, you might think he would thank us for freeing him, but as he sees our vallaslin and pointy ears, he’s immediately going to resort to calling us a savage knife-ear.

At this point, we allow ourselves to be a little angry and strike him while he’s weakened. This at least gets the man to listen, so we demand that he release the slaves from the blood collars. We threaten that if he won’t comply, we shall either bind him to a pole for the next Qunari patrol to find, or we can apply the qamek ourselves. Or we could just kill him, his choice.

Reluctantly, the mage relents and we take him to the slaves. With one last look, he relinquishes his blood magic hold on the collars and they open up, falling into the dirt.

Now comes the next choice. What do we do with the Centurio?

Do we kill him?

Do we leave him here for the Qunari to find?

Do we apply the qamek ourselves?

Or do we let him skulk back to Minrathous?

Everything in us wants to cause pain to this man who had contributed to the enslavement and torture of innocent beings. But we’re choosing to play a Rook who’s of the more merciful sort. Rook chooses to let the Centurio live and allow him to scamper back to Laskaris and report on his failure. Is this truly the merciful way? Who knows.

We send him on his way with the knowledge that he owes his life to a Dalish elf who forced him to release his slaves.

We turn back to the liberated slaves who thank us profusely. And now comes our last choice for this scene. What do we do with the slaves?

Do we send them on their way?

Or do we take them with us?

We ask Varric if the place we’re heading to has any room for more people, to which he says yes. We could either take them to safety or send them on their way. In this case, I’m actually going to send them on their way. We know that we’re about to possibly go up against Fen’Harel, so taking these newly liberated slaves with us would mean putting them in yet another dangerous conflict. So, we give them some resources, let them loot the camp, and wish them good fortune. Varric asks why we let them go, to which we say exactly what I wrote above. He nods and approves, as does Harding.

Now we really need to get going before even more Antaam troops arrive. We gather ourselves and move on.

This entire segment was completely optional, we could have skipped it entirely. But choosing to free the slaves gave us an early insight into the blood collars and allowed us to participate in some potentially morally grey choices. Of course, our Rook chose the most paragon-esque outcomes, but the game lets us do some extensive roleplaying in scenes like this.

The Cliffside

As the day draws to a close and night falls upon the coastal countryside of Tevinter, Rook, Varric, and Harding reach a cliff overlooking the vast Ventosus Straits, the body of water that separates Tevinter from Seheron.

At first, we see nothing truly remarkable, just a cliff, a very high cliff at that. But then, Varric directs us to a set of barely noticeable steps, carved into the rock. Slowly, we make our way down, closer and closer to the moonlit surface of the sea, until we come upon the entrance to a cave, hidden behind a spell of concealment. Since Varric and Harding know where the entrance is, they just pass through the wall. Rook has a momentary confused reaction, before following.

Meeting Charter

As we enter the cave, we are approached by another rather familiar figure: Charter. Those who only played the games might remember her as the stoic elven commander from Caer Bronach in Crestwood. Those who have read the comics and Tevinter Nights will remember her as basically the new Leliana. She goes around Thedas and recruits all kinds of people into the Inquisition. Veilguard mentions that she is the new Spymaster after Leliana, and you can read a few letters from her.

I absolutely adore Charter as a character and think it’s rather criminal that she was scrapped from Veilguard. So, we’re going to include her here. Since in this World State, Leliana has assumed the role of Divine Victoria, we can confidently say that Charter is the Spymaster here.

Charter remarks that we’re late, to which Harding explains that we took a little detour. The Spymaster studies us and remarks that, somehow, she isn’t surprised that “another” of the elven people has been chosen for the job given the circumstances.

Since Rook hasn’t been living under a rock, we can now begin to guess where we are headed. So we ask the people around us if we are about to join the Inquisition. Charter explains that the Inquisition does not officially exist anymore, only a shadow organisation that operates in the dark, away from the enemy’s gaze. Too great is the risk of corruption amidst the ranks, as we all remember from Trespasser. But in the most direct sense: yes, we are about to join what became of the Inquisition. But all of it can be explained later. We must now head off. Everything is ready. We ask what “everything” is, to which Charter only replies that we’re about to find out. Harding promises that we’re going to be absolutely floored by what we’re about to see.

The Palace of Almadrius

As we move further down through the cave, we occasionally see glimpses of ruins, remnants of an ancient palace that must have been magnificent once. By investigating and asking our guides, we learn that we are traversing what remains of the palace of Archon Almadrius. He was briefly mentioned in DA2 in a codex entry for having built a lavish palace near the Eyes of Nocen, manned by many guards. But one day, everything disappeared without a trace. Well, given the state of this place, we can deduce that some kind of spell or cataclysm caused it to collapse beneath the waves.

This is one of many examples of environmental storytelling that Dragon Age is so masterful at. Just by looking at the world, we can see traces of its history. We could have made this a simple cave, but thanks to the location and the legends surrounding it, we can now make it so much more.

Eventually, Charter takes us to a wide cavernous area beneath the sea. Magical barriers prevent rocks, ruins, and water from collapsing upon us. And right in the middle of it all, we see a monstrous vessel. An underwater ship in the shape of a great dragon. True to Harding’s word, Rook is absolutely floored by the sight. We have now reached the end of our journey. This is the Dumat.

The Dumat

Just like the rest of you, I have seen the concept art book. And when I saw this gigantic dragon submarine, I knew I had to include it in the rewrite. Does it take heavy inspiration from the Normandy in terms of having a mobile base in the form of a ship? Yes. Does that mean we’re no longer following the Dragon Age formula? I…honestly don’t think so.

Tevinter is a land of magic, a land of magic allied with the dwarves of Orzammar, master craftsmen. There is a lot that can be done when those two forces sit down together and plan not war, but a work of wonder. And I don’t really subscribe to the idea that the concept of a submarine goes against the fantasy genre. You can make it work if you give it the proper look and feel, and give it a logical explanation for existing in the setting.

But I also have another reason for choosing the Dumat as the hub instead of the Lighthouse: I have something else planned for the Lighthouse and the Crossroads as a whole. It’ll still be a while before we get there, since Solas is still around and has his agents in this rewrite.

As we approach the Dumat, Rook is still absolutely shocked. This is the first time she has ever seen an underwater vessel. And truth be told, this is probably the first submarine in Thedas’ history. Varric tells us that we still have some friends in the Magisterium and Orzammar, plus the funding of some other powerful friends. Combine all that, and you get this.

We board the Dumat and find ourselves in an…actually very homely-looking interior. It’s not overly lavish but definitely comfortable, as well as practical. There is a lot of room for people here, that much is clear. While we’re walking, we just can’t shake off the feeling of sheer awe that’s going through us right now. This is where we’re going to be staying for the foreseeable future? Incredible.

The Briefing

We eventually make it to a war-room-like place with a large round table in the centre. Only Rook, Varric, Harding, and Charter are currently present. But that is soon changed, for before we even get to properly speak, the door opens and another face joins us. It is none other than Isabela! The moment she heard Varric had arrive, she needed to come and see him for herself. Varric is glad that she accepted the offer and made it in time. As seen in the Lords of Fortune origin story, Isabela gave the Siren’s Call II to her first mate for the time being as she was chosen for another job. This is it. Isabela is going to be the captain of the Dumat.

Personally, I think this is something that fits Isabela’s character a bit more than being the stay-at-home leader for the Lords of Fortune. This way, she’s going to still be able to contribute to the story, but in a way that is far more in-line with her personality. Isabela would never miss up on the opportunity to sail an underwater vessel. And she does happen to be one of the most skilled captains around.

Isabela greets us and says we remind her of Merrill, and ooff. Yeah, about that. The meeting begins with Varric and Rook telling Charter and Isabela of everything that happened in Arlathan Forest and how we confronted the agents of Fen’Harel. Because we took that slave-liberating detour, we can also speak of the blood collars. When she hears of Merrill, Isabela’s face darkens and she refuses to believe it at first, but then…yeah. When she thinks about it, about the pain Merrill went through after losing Hawke and the trust of her people…she is shaken by this revelation. In a surprisingly endearing moment, Isabela proclaims that Merrill can still be saved. She just needs her friends to pull her out of the wolf’s maw.

At this point, Rook has had enough of the secrecy surrounding her part in all of this and asks Varric why she specifically was recruited into this affair. Varric agrees that it is time, so he begins a story. And this is where we get the “I knew him as Solas” speech we get at the beginning of the vanilla game. But it’s going to be slightly longer. We get a few more thoughts and feelings of how Solas was as a person and what exactly he did while serving in the Inquisition. We get a brief recap of the war against Corypheus, the betrayal at the end of Trespasser, and the decade-long shadow war against the Dread Wolf. It all culminates in Varric saying how Solas is now approaching the fulfilment of his promise: to tear down the Veil and restore Elvhenan. “Somebody’s gotta stop him. And that’s…where you come in.”

So then. This is what our purpose is. To join the fight against the Dread Wolf, the evil deity from our very own religion. He who caused the imprisonment of our gods. And now we learn that it was he who created the Veil. Of course. It lines up. How else would he have imprisoned the gods if not for the literal Veil? We try to reason it with ourselves, but it’s all a little…much.

We just got absolute confirmation that the Dalish beliefs, the way we see it at least, are true. Well, Varric says, yes and no. Solas never referred to himself as a god. Of course he wouldn’t, we think, he’s the great deceiver. But then we realise something else. “How do I…come in?” we ask. “What am I supposed to do?”

Then we learn our role: We won’t just be joining this shadow war. We’ll be one of the people leading it. As Varric’s second-in-command. While he will be making plans and arranging everything in the background, it is us who must be out there in the field, recruiting allies, carrying out heists, learning and undermining the Dread Wolf’s plans. We are Rook. The strongest piece on the chessboard. The one Solas will never see coming. The one he doesn’t know.

So at this point, I’m choosing to play Rook as incredibly shocked and overwhelmed, to the point where she outright refuses. Why would we be the perfect fit for such a high position? Varric lists our accomplishments among the Veil Jumpers, how Strife and Irelin speak so highly of us, how we took initiative in the ruined Temple of June, how we are the perfect seeker of ancient artefacts, and how we don’t give up. We fit perfectly. Obviously, this dialogue is going to be different for every origin story. We get an added line that we are of the Dalish, we know the Dread Wolf like few do.

We are still overwhelmed, and don’t know what to say. But then the door opens, and another figure steps in.

The Inquisitor

We are joined in the meeting chamber by Inquisitor Lavellan herself. Yeah, I chose to have the Inquisitor appear right at the beginning of the story. I mean, we already made her in the CC, it’s not a big reveal that she’s in this game. But it also makes thematic sense for her to be here. She was our last player character. Who better to pass on the torch and give us the final push into this new adventure than her?

For this playthrough, I’m choosing to go with my canon Inquisitor, Elera Lavellan. In my canon I romanced Cullen, but if you so choose, I can go with the Solavellan route here, yeah okay, I see ya.

The Inquisitor, wearing Dalish mage clothes and carrying a staff, no Shadow Dragon pjs to be seen anywhere, walks up to us and pretty much says how she felt the same when she was given the task to close the Breach and defeat Corypheus ten years ago. Nobody’s born a fighter, much less so a leader.

We get to have a small conversation with Lavellan. I’m choosing to have Rook react in awe to her because, of course, she has heard of her, how one of the People rose up and heroically led the Inquisition against the greatest of evils. Those were stories we heard as a teenager. And now we shall be joining this fight. Now it’s our turn to become a part of this ever-growing tale.

The Inquisitor, just like Leliana and Cassandra did at the beginning of DAI, tells us that we are free to go if we so choose. But if we stay in this fight, we shall make the world a safer place.

Varric chimes in and states how all of this started with the Hero of Ferelden’s quest against the Blight, how it continued into Hawke’s battles with the shadows of Kirkwall, how it reached new heights in the Inquisitor’s war against the Elder One, and now the time has come for what he feels and hopes is the final chapter. And Rook gets to be one of the central characters, if not the central.

We think long and hard, but then we see where we are. We are aboard an underwater ship, amidst the remnants of the Inquisition. We are standing amidst legends. And these legends have become flesh and chosen us to join them. We have the chance to avenge our people, to finally strike back at the god who has been deceiving us all this time. Solas, Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, has returned. And with him, the ancient conflict may come to an end. Justice may be served at last.

With a heavy breath, we shake hands with the Inquisitor, mirroring the scene in Haven’s Chantry so many years ago.

What follows is a cinematic showing Rook, Varric, Harding, Charter, Isabela, and Inquisitor Lavellan standing in the control room of the Dumat. Lavellan gives a nod and Isabela takes hold of the helm.

From outside, we see how the protective spells and wards that kept the cavern dry during the ship’s construction phase begin to flicker, until they disappear entirely. The Palace of Almadrius sinks beneath the waters once again, having fulfilled its purpose.

The Dumat floats in the darkness of the cavern, seemingly suspended in a shapeless void. But then, dwarven crystals and runes begin shimmering around it. Tevene magic creates light on the interior side, flooding the rooms with mysterious shines of many colours. Then, the ship begins to move. It slithers and glides through the cavern, until it swims out into the open sea. From afar, it looks like a great sea creature, not at all a ship. Perfect for the purpose of remaining unseen.

As the Dumat glides through the moonlit waters, the camera pans up to show Thedas’ two moons shining upon the deceptively calm sea. A distant wind comes up, and as the screen begins to fade to black, we hear the single howl of a lonely wolf.

The screen goes black, and we finally see the title of our game:

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

And there you have it! This is how I would pitch bridging the gap between Rook’s introduction and her joining the greater story. And…yeah, I do kinda prefer the Dreadwolf title. Obviously, The Veilguard is more fitting for what the vanilla game does, but I believe that the original title has more merit here, given that we’re ditching the Lighthouse and the Fade for the time being. But what we’ve definitely established so far was that Solas is a threat that must be stopped. The sequel hook that Trespasser dangled in front of us has to be paid off.

This concludes the Prologue segment of our hypothetical Veilguard rewrite. Now, the real story begins. Next time, we shall be dealing with the beginning of Act 1, a detailed look at the Dumat submarine, the people inhabiting it, and some first missions.

Thank you to everyone who’s still following this project. It’s really been quite an entertaining and captivating journey so far. And there’s so much more to come. Stay tuned!

Rewriting Veilguard Part 9 - The Dumat

[drakorn]

I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3

[drakorn]

The results are in, and I...did not expect this kind of outcome. First of all, the sheer amount of votes is insane and really boosting to my motivation and faith in this project. So thank you everyone! Now, let's see who came out on top.

On the fifth place, we have the Antivan Crows (again, did not see that coming).

On the fourth place, we got the Shadow Dragons (when I first created this poll, I though this was going to be number 1).

Sharing the third place, we got the Mourn Watchers and the Lords of Fortune (yeah these two really continue to have much in common).

Narrowly missing the mark and landing on the second place, we have the Grey Wardens (who did lead for a significant chunk of the race)!

And finally, emerging as the victor, are the Veil Jumpers!

So, the Veil Jumper origin story is going to be the "canon" one for the remainder of my Veilguard rewrite. This entire poll was basically the imaginary player going over their six save slots and trying to decide which of them becomes his main one. This one! Nhhh...no, maybe this one...ah but this one was cool as well...or maybe this?

Literally, this is what it was like when I was watching the progression. First, the Mourn Watch was leading, then the Grey Wardens, then the Grey Wardens and Veil Jumpers were both number 1, until finally the Veil Jumpers overtook the Grey Wardens.

This makes me unreasonably giddy as it shows me that all of my origin story pitches had some merit and intrigue. So I can't just leave them forgotten, can I?

Here's what I'll do, as a compromise: While the Veil Jumpers will be the canon Rook, I will occasionally, whenever it's appropriate and most relevant, offer an alternative take on a given scene in which I describe how different it would be to another Rook. Like, for instance, as a Veil Jumper, we're not going to know who Neve Gallus is when we meet her for the first time, so I will quickly jump into a parallel universe and explain how that first meeting would have gone with a Shadow Dragon Rook. Don't worry, I will try to at least give a broad overview for the other origins.

Now then, I have actually recreated the Rooks I was imagining while writing the origin stories. So, as befits the winner, let me show you my Veil Jumper! Meet Ashara Aldwir:

As was detailed in the initial write-up, she's a Dalish mage. To add a little more personal drama, I've given her Elgar'nan's vallaslin. She's going to be our main Rook for this project.

But, if you're curious, I've made the others too!

Here's the runner-up Magor Thorne, the Grey Warden:

As I said, for a large chunk of this poll, he was going to be our main Rook.

Next we have Elise Ingellvar, the Mourn Watcher, and Maya Laidir, the Lord of Fortune:

The Mourn Watch and the Lords of Fortune had the absolute least content in the vanilla game, yet l found myself incredibly engrossed when I was writing their origin stories, possibly because I had the most freedom here.

Here's our penultimate one, Verus Mercar, the Shadow Dragon:

For a short while I thought that he was the only origin story I was going to write, but when I received so much encouragement afterwards, I was honestly smitten. And now, here we are.

And last but not least, Gia de Riva, the Antivan Crow:

I had some of the most genuine fun when writing this one, mainly because I could just picture her and Viago having all of those little interactions.

And there you have it! If you've read this far, congrats and thank you for the interest! Next time, we shall be properly delving into the conclusion of the Prologue segment, so that we can finally get past the opening credits and properly dive into Act 1. Stay tuned!

How should I continue my Veilguard Rewrite?

So I'm doing a complete for-fun rewrite of Veilguard and have just finished pitching the final origin story. Now comes the question: which one of those six potential Rooks should Varric end up saving? Who will continue into the main story?

Links to the origin stories:

Shadow Dragon (Mercar)

Grey Warden (Thorne)

Veil Jumper (Aldwir)

Antivan Crow (De Riva)

Mourn Watcher (Ingellvar)

Lord of Fortune (Laidir)

[drakorn]

How should I continue my Veilguard Rewrite?

So I'm doing a complete for-fun rewrite of Veilguard and have just finished pitching the final origin story. Now comes the question: which one of those six potential Rooks should Varric end up saving? Who will continue into the main story?

Links to the origin stories:

Shadow Dragon (Mercar)

Grey Warden (Thorne)

Veil Jumper (Aldwir)

Antivan Crow (De Riva)

Mourn Watcher (Ingellvar)

Lord of Fortune (Laidir)