#antivan headcanons

antiva has connections to every nation's aristocracy through alliances. so i imagine they invite foreign dignitaries over quite frequently to entertain them. balls and feasts are a great way to do that.

i also imagine the crows have many operatives planted in the antivan ruling class. this includes the royal family and the merchant princes that rule individual cities. these might be aides, bodyguards, prostitutes, and courtiers. hell, i wouldn't be surprised if there were merchant families owned by the crows so certain houses have fronts.

parties, feasts, and balls are great places for completing contracts. so every year there is at least one crow ball. the important part is that only the crows know it is the crow ball. ostensibly, it needs to appear to the rest of the world that this is a normal ball hosted by the nobility, so targets attend and aren't much more suspicious than normal.

the nobility of antiva know that there is a crow ball every year, so they have learned how to dissuade attempts on them at regular balls and events. they have techniques and plans for evading the crows while appearing tactful and polite to high society.

meanwhile, the crows are doing a lot of politicking here. historically, one of the major families in antiva city hosts (such as the arainais). or whichever house holds the seat of first talon. but since the fall of house arainai and the appearance of the black shadow, there is more competition for hosting. since then, even a cuchillo has managed to host the crow ball.

i've been thinking about this as a fun setting to bring together an eclectic collection of folks.

Any Antivan Crow character. Whether completing a contract, attending to represent their family, undercover as a member of someone's court, or as a newly minted crow to be shown off to the other houses. Guildmasters could be bargaining for the rights to take contracts in different territories, making deals to help remove a talon or climb up another rank in the talons.

Royal or noble characters as guests. Montilyets, Trevelyans, Aeducans, and Couslands could all make appearances. Whoever you made rulers of Ferelden, Orzammar, and Orlais. Tevinter magisters like Dorian or Maevaris.

MCs from other games. I mean, who wouldn't want to claim they managed to get the Champion of Kirkwall, Hero of Ferelden, and Inquisitor in one place. Your Rook if they're a Crow or if you're setting the ball after Veilguard. Also, a great place for people to try and kill them.

the most important part of this is to remember that the ball still needs to ostensibly be a ball! the food needs to be fit for nobility, a good band for music, appropriate decor, a suitable theme, etc.

"Dareth shiral, little one." I was vaguely aware that the phrase had been in Elvish. From context, it was a well-wish of some kind. "Thank you," I said awkwardly. "May only the blessings of the gods be upon your family." And not their eyes.

Religious beliefs for the ask game.

Magpie de Riva is an elf who was raised with a noble education in the far reaches of Antiva, with no connection to the Dalish. Through their mother (an elf), they learned about the genius loci (gení) revered—but not worshipped—by the people of the mountains.

♥ - Love headcanon

Zevran has always loved very earnestly. Even when he didn’t understand what he was feeling, his emotions have always been very strong and very real to him. He’s always been in love with the idea of love, especially when he was a young child—he loved his mother even though he never met her, and he loved the Dalish even though he’d never laid eyes on a free elf. Still, these were fantasies that a young Zevran loved wholeheartedly, and he found great comfort in pretending that if circumstances had been just a little different, he would have a mother to love him and a clan to accept him.

As a Crow, Zevran was warned away from feelings of attachment, and was taught to harden his heart in favor of the kill. Unable to completely rid himself of affection for others, Zevran learned to channel those feelings into physical lust, and eventually forgot how to express love without sex. It’s for this reason that Zevran gravitates towards poetry—he believes that the great bards put into words all of the things that he feels but struggles to express.

♡ - Sex headcanon

Zevran grew up in an Antivan whorehouse. Even as a child he was well versed in the topic of sex, and though the men and women of the whorehouse did not exactly give him a healthy or encouraging view of the subject, he accepted it as natural part of life. That it should only be done between two people in love never entered Zevran’s mind, as he was literally raised amongst those who preached otherwise.

The Crows, meanwhile, taught Zevran to use sex as a weapon and an exploit, as a means to get close to marks or to obtain information. Though the Crows discouraged romances between their recruits, they did not object to young Crows sleeping with one another and, being the affectionate creature that he is, Zevran easily fell into bed with his closest friends, particularly Taliesen and Rinna.

Zevran is a very giving lover. To quote the Crow himself, “My only rule about sex is that it should be done well.” He believes that it should be enjoyed by all involved, and he strives to make it a memorable experience. Because sex is the only way Zevran was ever permitted to show affection, he channels a lot of his emotions through sex, and will use it to express everything from gratitude to admiration to physical attraction to love.

∇ - Old age headcanon

Zevran will age quite gracefully, I’m sure. He’ll become one of those “Grey Foxes” you hear so much about, with silver in his hair that only makes him all the more dashing.

☮ - Friendship headcanon

Zevran is a true and loyal friend. He is a shameful flirt and a jovial fellow, but he does not give his true affection away easily. When he does like a person, he does so completely. He does not know how to love in moderation—when he forges a bond with someone, that bond is unshakable and resolute.

These bonds only come into question when two of his friends are at odds with one another. Zevran was dear and close friends with Taliesen, and would have done anything in the world for him… except betray the Warden. He feels the same way about Isabela: he would gladly fight anyone at her side, from Darkspawn to lawmen to the Maker’s Chosen themselves, but he would never stand with her against the Warden.

☆ - Appearance headcanon

Zevran takes great pride in his personal appearance. Morrigan said it best when she called him “a fool who spends too much time on his hair.” He preens like a pretty bird in a chage—not just for the delight of onlookers, but to make himself feel valued. A Crow is supposed to be beautiful and desirable, and their elves especially so—Zevran was specifically chosen to join their ranks because humans find elves exotic and pleasing to look at. In fact, Zevran ties back his hair into a decorative plait as a way of showcasing his pointed ears, not from a sense of Elvhen pride, but because he thinks it makes him more attractive. A lot of Zevran’s self-worth is wrapped up into his looks; sometimes he fears that if he were not beautiful, he would have no value at all.

★ - Education headcanon

The Crows educate their assassins well—if they live long enough, that is. Most of their youngest recruits do not survive the perilous trials required to become a Crow. Since there is little point to educating a child who will surely die, the Crows do not educate them in anything except subterfuge and survival until they are at least twelve years old. Five years after his “recruitment,” Zevran surpassed his peers and finally learned to read and write. A true romantic at heart, it was then that Zevran discovered his love for poetry, and though the Crow libraries had no books for such leisurely pursuits, this did not stop Zevran from attempting to pen several of his own.

♠ - Painful headcanon