#writing: maeve mercar

[mt07131]

Hi! 4 or 14 for the Mercar asks, if you want!

4. Rook going on an espionage mission with one of the following people: Maevaris, Dorian, The Viper, Tarquin, Rana Savas, Elek Tavor

Mercar Writing Prompts

Tonight, the meticulously trimmed gardens of Magister Papinia Arcadius were filled to the brim with Tevinter’s elite, most already deep into their cups by this point. Even inebriated, the party’s guests still had those sharp looks in their eyes. Not even alcohol could stop the great magisters of Minrathous from having their own ulterior motives.

Not that Dorian was much different, though he suspected that his ulterior motive was quite different than that of his peers. He had his suspicions that someone in Papinia’s circle, possibly even Papinia herself, had connections to the Venatori. Unfortunately, suspicions were not enough to act on, they needed evidence. When her grand party arose, he knew it would be the chance for distraction enough to find that evidence. Magister Dorian Pavus couldn’t be seen snooping around however, but he had friends in places who could. Though it would be helpful if he knew who he was looking out for. All he managed to pry out of Maevaris was the assurance that the Shadow Dragons would have a man on the inside.

He refocused on the conversation he was having with a fellow magister. Conversation was polite, actually, given that the man was talking at Dorian more than anything. Absentmindedly, he plucked a new drink from the nearest tray that came by. In the midst of thinking of ways to gracefully exit this conversation, he lifted the cup to his mouth, but paused at the sight of something floating within. 

He looked up, attempting to spot the slave who had been carrying the tray. The gardens twisted and turned, and no one who wasn’t a magister dared to tear their gaze from the ground except for一there. The only one brave enough to make eye contact with him. Deep blue eyes, curled brown hair, and the telltale pointed ears of an elf poking through the strands. Their eye contact lasted barely a second, but it was enough for him to confirm that she was the one he was looking for.

A few more careful sips and he was able to discern what was on the now wine-soaked paper. A set of directions, simple arrows but enough to lead him to meet the contact. When he finally managed to pry himself away from his one sided conversation, he realized that the elf was nowhere to be seen in the crowd. 

Dorian wove his way through the gardens and into the mansion proper. While most of the party was happening in the gardens, he wasn’t surprised to see a few guests lingering indoors. Whether they were relieving themselves from the social games of Tevinter’s elite or furthering them by sneaking away to plot and scheme, he frankly couldn’t care less. He had his own meeting to attend, after all.

The note led him to a sitting room, one that seemed empty when he first entered. Then, a breeze at the back of his neck. At first, he glanced towards the windows, which were latched shut.

“Tell me, magister, do you stand with us?” Came a voice behind him.

Dorian sighed. “Shadows stand together.” He recited the coded answer. “Was all of this truly necessary?”

As he turned, the Shadow Dragon laughed. “Well, I’d be a poor Shadow if I didn’t recognize the Dorian Pavus. Still, I had to be certain.” She responded, readjusting the cloak she wore over her servant’s uniform to show her face under the hood. “I’ve already located Arcadius’ office. If there is anything damning, chances are it’ll be there. No one should be in the eastern wing with the party, but we should move quickly regardless.” She said. Turning on her heel, she  led him out of the room and down the winding halls of the magister’s estate. Like any magister’s home, there was opulence abound, and this would be the only way she could see it.

Dorian kept pace with her. “Have we met before?” He wondered.

There was a small grin on her lips. “Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of introducing myself, but I’ve seen you around the Shop on occasion. You can call me Rook.” 

“Rook…” He moved the name around in mouth. “I have heard of you, your moody Templar has talked about you.” 

“Tarquin? I’m sure he’s had only shining words for me.” Rook laughed. “We’re here. Now, Magister, if you’d please?” She stopped in front of a door, gesturing to him.

He raised an immaculate brow. “You haven’t already tried?” He asked.

Rook rolled her eyes. “If I could, I’d have already done it. This… lovely door here is warded. Even if I tried to open it the old fashioned way, Arcadius would certainly be notified and chances are my hand would explode or I would be transformed into a bunch of snakes. And, I’ll have you know, I do quite enjoy having both of my hands and not being a bunch of snakes. As I am decidedly ungifted like the great magisters of Tevinter, this is where一”

Her words were interrupted by the minute sound of something breaking, like shattering glass. Dorian turned the handle of the door, having already untangled the ward. “You do like to talk, don’t you?” He said. In a way, she reminded him of a certain dwarven storyteller.

“So I’ve heard.” Rook retorted, slipping into the office, Dorian hot on her heels. While he lit up the office with a wave of his hand, she settled at the ornate desk and got to work. “So, do you think it’s Arcadius herself or one of her little friends?” She asked.

Dorian snorted. “Both is the most likely answer, Rook. If my colleagues aren’t Venatori themselves, they are quietly supporting.” He responded, poking around the bookshelves. Unfortunately, most Venatori were smart and didn’t leave their world-conquering plans on neatly written lists out in the open. That would make their job easier.

There was quiet for a few minutes before a low whistle escaped Rook’s mouth. “Well, well, someone had too much faith in her ward. Nothing here is secured.” And out of one of the desk drawers came a bound book. A quick flip through the pages revealed columns of large sums, a ledger. As much as she wanted to spirit away the whole book, it would be entirely too suspicious if it disappeared. Instead, Rook pulled a set of blank papers from her cloak and began copying the information. “What say you, Magister? Excessively large sums of money being ‘donated’ to unmarked sources? I doubt Arcadius has had a sudden change of heart to push for a better Tevinter.” She commented wryly. 

Dorian couldn’t help but watch Rook work. Her handwriting was quick, yet impeccably neat, the signs of a good education. Not someone the Shadows plucked off the streets then. Military, if he had to hazard a guess. He wondered…

“Mercar?” He spoke up, and Rook jolted, a thick black line of ink across the paper she was writing on. Well, if that didn’t confirm his suspicions. 

Rook gave him a dry look, unamused by his triumphant discovery. “What about it?” She asked breezily, finishing up with her writing and standing to meet Dorian. The challenge in her tone was obvious.

He smiled, smug. “Just good to see your old man followed through, is all.” He remembered it clearly. It was him who first reached out to the Legatus to garner military support for the Shadow Dragons. Imagine his surprise when, a short time later, the Legatus would reach out to him for further assistance. Something about a Venatori son and a daughter whom he wanted to protect. It wasn’t a far reach to assume that Rook was the daughter in question.

“Bravo, Magister Pavus, you do know who I am. And as much as I would love to catch up about my family, now is一” She stopped short, her head whipping towards the closed door. Quickly, silently, she covered Dorian’s mouth with one hand and her own with the other. The look in her eyes made her message clear, do not say one word. He quickly flicked his hand once more, and the lights of the office dimmed to near darkness.

The pair waited in tense silence for it to be safe. The seconds stretched on, feeling more like hours. Finally, Rook nodded once and released her hands.

“You said no one would be in this wing.” Dorian recalled.

“I did, and there shouldn’t be, which means we need to go. Hopefully, what we did get is enough to work on.” She said. “You’ll need to re-cast the ward, I’ll keep watch.” 

The two of them quickly ushered themselves out of the office, shutting the door and letting Dorian do his thing. “A word of advice, Rook?” He spoke up as he wove the magic back into place. “Magisters Eliphas and Gavros haven’t left Papinia’s side all night. If this information is good, I would suggest looking into them.” He offered. Perks of having to wait around the party for her.

Rook gave him a grateful nod. “I’ll let our mutual friends know. Do enjoy the rest of the party, Magister Pavus.” With a bowed flourish, she headed in the opposite direction of the party, towards a nearby window. Once she was safely out of sight, Dorian began winding back through the estate. And, if anyone cared to ask, he simply got distracted admiring the architecture.

[mithrilhearts]

Welcome! I go by Maeve, and I'm a fanfic writer and all-around hobbit at heart! I have many different interests, which you'll find on this blog, but mostly Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age, FFXIV, and Bagginshield (Tolkien).

⚠️ My fics are locked to registered users only at this time.

✨ Archive of Our Own 📝 Maeve writes 🎞️ My gifs

Listed below you'll find some more specific links to my creations, OCs, etc. Do mind the tags on writing pieces as some contain 18+ content. Thanks for stopping by!

Latest Fanfic Updates

Golden Hearts Bleed Faster (2.11.2025)

Bagginshield

Multi-Chapter Stories

Short Stories

Dragon Age (The Veilguard)

Aerendil Thorne (Grey Warden, Warrior)

Anrevale de Riva (Antivan Crow, Rogue)

Maeve "Rook" Mercar (Shadow Dragon, Mage)

Credits: Dividers by @cafekitsune​

[mt07131]

7, 9, 18 for the mercar ask. sorry i hadnt seen youd reblogged one or i wouldve sent asks sooner. it is okay if you arent vibing these any more! <3

I'm going to be so real I only have the brain power to do one of these otherwise this was going to sit in my inbox for wayyyyyy too long lmao

7. Rook discovering Ashur's real identity

Mercar Writing Prompts

“We need to talk.” Maeve’s voice was low, and oddly serious, in Ashur’s ear. When he looked up from the table scattered with documents, he watched her eyes flick back and forth through the empty Shop. “In private.” She finished. Sure, it was late and they were the only two that hadn’t either turned in for the night or set out onto the streets to expose more of Minrathous’ dirty secrets, but she had to be safe. Certain.

He nodded her towards a more secluded corner of the Shop. The two of them sneaking away was nothing new, but this felt different. Maeve was tense, almost drawn tight like a bowstring. And quiet, something else rare for her. “What’s going on?” He asked.

It was unusual to see Maeve Mercar lost for words. Yet, she had spent all day wondering how she was going to go about this, and how he was going to react. “I was in Hightown yesterday, trailing Velus as planned. He ended up going to the Chantry for a service. Of course, I snuck in, got myself comfortable. Must have been a special day, because the Divine himself was there to give a sermon.” She paused, waiting to see if there was any reaction from him. Annoyingly, he was as stoic as ever, though she supposed there could’ve been more behind that damn mask he was wearing. “Never really was the faithful type you know, but it was a pretty decent sermon. As I listened though, I had the strangest realization. His voice sounded… familiar. Obviously this threw me for a loop, because in what world would I ever cross paths with the Divine?”

“Maeve…” Ashur sighed. She was clever, which made her an excellent Shadow Dragon. It seemed now that said cleverness was being turned on him.

“Do I need to keep going? Or can we just get to the conclusion here?” She finally looked him in the eyes. Looking back, it all made sense. The getup, the alias, the late-night rendezvous always at different inns. “When were you going to—were you ever going to tell me you are Divine Aequitas II?” Even though they were as alone as they could possibly be, she still whispered the name.

Now it was Ashur’s turn to be at a loss for words. Truthfully, he hadn’t planned on it. While being the Viper wasn’t any easier than being the Divine, it was certainly more freeing. Normally, the two lives didn’t cross. Normally. He removed his mask. “It was safer for you not to know. Very few people do, including yourself.”

Maeve scoffed. “Let me guess: Tilani, Pavus, and Tarquin?” She rattled the names off. The four of them were the leaders of the Shadows, or at least had some type of authority, so it only made sense for them to be in the know. When he nodded, Maeve pinched the bridge of her nose. “Months, Ashur. This… thing between us has been going on for months, and you didn’t think to tell me? Feels like it would be something that would come up eventually.” She pointed out. She sighed. Now came the even harder part, the part that really made her a bit nauseous. “We can’t do this anymore. See each other, I mean.” She said.

“Maeve, wait.” His voice was even, and it almost made her more annoyed how calm he was. “Things between us don’t have to change.” He pleaded.

An almost incredulous laugh escaped her. “Things don’t have to—this changes everything.” A deep breath, it was not worth getting worked up over something that shouldn’t have started meaning as much as it did. “The nights together, stolen kisses in the dark, all of that was fun when we were equals, or as equal as we could be. But you are the Divine, Ashur. You are one of the most powerful men in the Imperium, in Thedas.” She stepped closer to him. “Imagine if someone had found out. You and I both make a lot of enemies doing what we do, and this,” She gestured between them. “Is blackmail. So, for both of our sakes, it’s better that we are colleagues and nothing more. All I ask is that you don’t make this harder than it already is.”

It was clear she had made up her mind. If there was one thing that Ashur had learned about Maeve in their time together, it was that once she set her mind on something, she would make it happen. It would be cruel of him to not respect that. “Alright. Colleagues, that can be done.” He agreed.

Maeve nodded, and he swore she looked a little lighter, like this conversation had been weighing her down. “Good, I’m glad we could… figure this out. And besides, our little arrangement was always more fit for a bad serial than it was a romance novel.” Then came that little knowing smile, one that he was too familiar with. “Now, if you want to talk romance novels… you should probably have a little chat with our local Templar.” She wiggled her brows.

In response, Ashur furrowed his. “What are you talking about?”

The roll of Maeve’s eyes was long and dramatic. “Now I know you’re messing with me. You and Tarquin already bicker like you’ve been married for a decade, everyone sees it. Consider this my blessing, not that you needed it. And don’t you dare tell him I said any of this, or I’ll never hear the end of it from him.” There was a friendly little smile at the end of that sentence, but he knew well the teeth behind those words.

She made her way past him, but stopped before she could leave fully. “And just so we’re clear.” She said without turning around. “Your secret is safe with me. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, least of all a friend. Goodnight, Ashur.” And with that, she made her way down into the Shop’s bunks. It needed to be done, and she knew it. All that ruminating and worrying she had done all day had turned out better than she had expected.

[mt07131]

For Maeve: a letter written by your OC’s family member

2. A letter written by your OC’s family member

An unsent letter found in the desk of Legatus Charon Mercar

Maeve—

We’ve received word that you’re to leave the city for some time. Our mutual friends did not disclose why, nor where you would be going to. The courtesy of learning what we do know is enough, lest your mother send herself into one of her spirals. Between you and myself, sometimes I don’t think she quite realizes that you’ve grown and don’t need her always looking over her shoulder at you.

What I do know, however, is who you are and how you act. You cause commotion and chaos in pursuit of your goals. You find underhanded ways to subvert your problems as opposed to facing them head on. These strategies you were not taught by your instructors or myself, they were devised entirely on your own. And yet, your goals are noble ones, ones I would like to believe I have instilled in you. 

Whatever the reason for your sudden departure, I know it is because you did what you thought was best. Perhaps it did not work this time, but it so rarely does. Take the words of an old soldier to heart, this is when you stand up again and keep fighting. I did not raise you to fall to despair when your actions do not pan out. 

Above all, I am proud of you, and I am proud to call you my daughter. Keep yourself safe, for I do not doubt your time away from the city will last much longer.

---

Send me OC codex prompts

[mt07131]

8 and 14 :]

Send me OC codex prompts

8. Your OC’s doctor/healer talking about their injuries

Medical Report: Watcher Atropos Ingellvar

-Sprained ankle, moderate

-Cuts and bruises, targeted arms and legs, mild

-Physical and magical exhaustion highly prevalent

Watcher Ingellvar has been advised to rest in order to fully recover. Watcher Ingellvar should take care not to aggravate further injuries of the physical or magical varieties. Should Watcher Ingellvar insist that she is fully recovered, it would be in her best interest to continue resting.

Note: Watcher Ingellvar seemed flippant about physical injuries, expressed increased worry about actions during attack. Watcher Ingellvar is to meet with senior Watchers to discuss further recourse.

---

14. Your OC talking about your favorite quest

From Maeve’s Journal: Weisshaupt

Never thought I’d see the famous home of the Wardens myself, you know. Then again, I never thought I’d be fighting a pair of ancient elven mages who’ve styled themselves as gods. Funny how life works, isn’t it? But I am, and now that oh so famous fortress has fallen.

It was a mess is what it was. You could say any number of things about it—that we were too late, that we were unprepared, that the damned First Warden should have listened to me, but it all adds up to the fact that we failed at Weisshaupt. That should have been the end of this whole fight, but instead it feels like another thing to stumble over.

Sometimes I don’t get what Varric thinks he sees in me. I signed up to find and stop one god, and now the Wardens are shattered because of what I did. Real good leader work there.

[mithrilhearts]

Welcome to my blog! 

I go by Maeve, and I'm a fanfic writer and all-around hobbit at heart! I have many different interests, which you'll find on this blog, but mostly Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age, FFXIV, and Bagginshield (Tolkien).

✨ Archive of Our Own 📝 Maeve writes 🎞️ My gifs

Listed below you'll find some more specific links to my creations, OCs, etc. Do mind the tags on writing pieces as some contain 18+ content. Thanks for stopping by!

Latest Fanfic Updates

Golden Hearts Bleed Faster (2.11.2025)

Bagginshield Works

Multi-Chapter Stories

Short Stories

Dragon Age (The Veilguard)

Aerendil Thorne (Grey Warden, Warrior)

Anrevale de Riva (Antivan Crow, Rogue)

Maeve "Rook" Mercar (Shadow Dragon, Mage)

Credits: Dividers by @cafekitsune​