Briefing on the Dumat

So, we have the choice. Do we investigate the Ossuary or the Deep Roads? After Marnas Pell, we have a few leads. Neither of them screams Solas at us, but they are both important matters to which he would likely draw his attention as well.

For this mission, as the title already suggests, we chose to investigate the Ossuary first, the mysterious Venatori prison where slaves are delivered to in secrecy. What is it that they’re planning on doing there? Considering it’s the Venatori, it’s probably nothing good.

After selecting the mission, Varric calls for a meeting in the Meeting Chamber (yeah I probably have to rename this room in a later draft), and informs us that Charter got an update for us regarding her investigation into the Ossuary.

Rook picks up the report and starts reading. And now comes the perfect opportunity to introduce a new game mechanic: an updated version of the War Table missions!

The Spy Network

Instead of War Table missions, we have Spy Reports. Let me give you a brief explanation of what these are. So, remember how in DAI, you had the War Table, where you did a lot of timer-based missions, and choosing the advisor determined the outcome? Well, in Dreadwolf, we’re doing away with the sheer quantity, the timers, and the different advisors. At first, this sounds detrimental and like a step backwards. Oho, but just you wait.

There is a lot going on in Thedas right now, and Rook obviously can’t be everywhere. So, this is our opportunity to see things outside of Rook’s perspective. No, the Spy Network isn’t giving us fully rendered playable missions, where you’re another character. No, no. However, it does provide us with something that slightly tilts in this direction.

Let us use Charter’s report here as an example for this.

Searching for the Ossuary

Instead of Rook just reading Charter’s report, the screen fades to black, and we suddenly hear Rook’s voice change into Charter’s.

When we fade back again, we suddenly find ourselves in an illustrated take on Thedas. It’s like a combination of BioWare’s tarot-like paintings and Dark Horse’s DA comics.

Charter narrates how she found her way to the besieged city of Vyrantium, and we see a panel of her standing on a hill overlooking the place. After Marnas Pell, Laskaris’ legions managed to advance further east. And now, they’re looking to take back Vyrantium from the Qun. It’s currently held by an Antaam kithshok referred to as “Staffbreaker” by the local population. Apparently, he was so ruthless in the conquering of Vyrantium that people began to see the Qunari as more evil than the Magisters, something that had never before been accomplished. This is all from a codex entry in Veilguard but here, we get to adapt that into something we can actually see.

Charter’s task is simple: she has to infiltrate the estate of Magister Zara Renata, which is where Staffbreaker currently resides. But she also knows that Zara has a secret vault somewhere in the estate, and that’s where she’ll likely find information regarding the Ossuary.

We then get a small choice:

Does Charter infiltrate the city while things are still calm?

Or does she wait for Laskaris to attack and slip in during the chaos?

Since Marnas Pell worked so well, Charter elects to wait until the attack begins. A few hours later, night falls, and the Imperator launches his assault on Vyrantium.

We get a panel of Charter deftly moving through the chaotic streets, dodging Antaam warriors when needed, quickly approaching the Renata Estate. At this point, you might ask yourself: Why would Zara Renata leave her own estate unguarded? Why would she simply leave it? In Veilguard, she’s often mentioned to be in Vyrantium.

Well, Veilguard kind of forgot that Vyrantium was under Qunari occupation. I don’t have to remind anyone what the Qunari do to Magisters. Best-case scenario, they’re killed straight up. Worst-case scenario, they’re given the qamek treatment. The Qunari attack on Vyrantium was also so vicious and decisive that the Magisters simply had no time to prepare. So, Zara had to retreat to Minrathous before she could even begin to cleanse her vault.

Anyway, Charter reaches the Renata Estate and quickly slips inside. She takes out a few Antaam warriors but, luckily for her, most of them are already on the frontlines, engaging with Tevinter’s forces.

As she makes her way through the Renata Estate, she is suddenly ambushed by two cloaked figures. After a quick exchange of blades, in which Charter stands her own against two, the figures agree to talk and reveal themselves as Teia and Viago, our favourite Crow couple. If we didn’t play the Antivan Crow origin, this is our introduction to them.

Once they learn of their mutual connection through Varric and Harding, Teia tells Charter of a contract they’re currently on: they are tasked with assassinating Staffbreaker, a contract made by someone within the Imperial Legion. Charter relays that she’s here for the Ossuary. That gets the Crows’ attention, for they, too, are searching for it, a request given to them by the First Talon, Caterina Dellamorte. Charter proposes a team-up, since they’re looking for the same thing, and tells them of Zara’s secret vault. Teia and Viago agree to work together, and thus the deadly trio continues through the estate.

They find Staffbreaker surrounded by Antaam guards in the upper areas of the Renata Estate. Quite telling that the kithshok is not leading the battle with his troops. Not very Qunari-like of him, is it? This is our first clue that some of the Antaam generals may be starting to stray away from the ways of the Qun.

Charter can either:

Join Teia and Viago in the shadows and take out Staffbreaker and his troops in secrecy.

Or cause a distraction that will lead Staffbreaker’s troops away.

Charter is a very confident elf and chooses the second option. And this is where we get a glimpse at that “Master of False Identities” title Charter has going for her in the lore. Apparently, she’s an Oscar-worthy actress who can transform into basically anyone. Charter is just her current identity. We don’t actually know her true name.

This time, Charter turns into a convert of the Qun, an elf who embraced the teachings of Koslun. She enters the room and alerts Staffbreaker that some of the Vyrantium citizens have gone rogue and are now raiding the qamek supplies. Staffbreaker immediately sends his troops away to deal with the situation. Charter leads them down a corridor, intending to dispatch of them in the basement, when a massive fire spell launched from one of the Imperator’s ships rips the wall apart, and sends the Qunari tumbling down the outer walls. Well, that was a lucky incident for once.

She returns to find Teia and Viago making quick and vicious work of Staffbreaker, completing their contract. With Staffbreaker dead and the estate empty of Qunari, the trio quickly gets to work and searches for Zara’s vault. Eventually, they locate it beneath Zara’s private bathhouse, a rather odd choice.

After scouring the vault, Charter eventually finds what she’s looking for: records of an expedition funded by Zara and a few other Magisters, including Gereon Alexius and Livius Erimond, to locate a legendary place called ‘The Cradle of Creation”, an ancient structure rumoured to have sunk into the sea. Another record shows the exact location, which lies somewhere deep within the Venefication Sea, the large body of water surrounded by Rivain, Arlathan Forest, and Par Vollen. Yeah, I know, in Veilguard, the Ossuary is stated to be somewhere in the Rialto Bay, just outside of Treviso, but I...heavily disagree with that. It’s just way too conveniently placed.

Now, Charter inquires as to what the Crows want at the Ossuary. Teia and Viago then share a secret with her, which Caterina kept from all other Crows: the Venatori are thought to have captured one of their own: the Demon of Vyrantium, Lucanis Dellamorte. And they wish to free him.

Charter immediately senses an opportunity and proposes a deal: The crew of the Dumat shall infiltrate the Ossuary, as is their original plan, and free Lucanis, should he still be alive. In exchange, however, Lucanis shall join the crew, and the Crows will receive a contract quite worthy of their time. Teia and Viago agree, under the condition that Lucanis first be brought to Treviso, to prove to everyone that he’s alive. Then, Caterina will approve the contract.

Charter and the Crows leave the besieged Vyrantium, and eventually part ways.

And that’s a mission of the Spy Network for you! It’s not as detailed or elaborate as Rook’s story, but it does the trick of exploring the world of Thedas through other means. And, by depicting this type of mission in a sort of visual novel-style way, it’s also definitely something worth looking at. This distinct style shall be kept for this sort of mission only. It’s also much more cost-effective than rendering everything in 3D graphics, while still allowing us to see more of Thedas.

Also, I know this was a pretty lengthy description, but in practice, this should take about five minutes in actual game time.

Once the mission ends, Charter’s voice shifts back to Rook’s, who concludes reading the report.

Neve and Bellara immediately have something to say about the Cradle of Creation mentioned in the report. Neve read about it in a history book. Turns out Tevinter has quite a large number of stories related to buildings that sank into the sea, if we recall the Palace of Almadrius at the beginning of the game. Bellara, on the other hand, mentions that in ancient tales, Arlathan was much bigger than the forest we know today. Maybe the Cradle of Creation was an elvhen ruin. If it’s close to the forest’s coast, it’s very likely. As a Veil Jumper, we, of course, know that ourselves.

Meanwhile, Varric and Harding comment on the Crows’ involvement here. They have heard of the Demon of Vyrantium, but he was assumed dead. If Charter truly made a deal with the Crows to recruit him, should we find him, he may be an incredibly worthy addition to the crew of the Dumat. An assassin whose main targets are mages, Venatori mages at that, would be great in fighting someone like Solas, a powerful and ancient mage. Isabela only has limited experience with the Crows, recalling that one side adventure with Zevran back in DA2.

Right then! Now that we know where the Ossuary is, it’s time to pay the Venatori a visit. Once the meeting is adjourned, the Dumat sets sail and we make for the Venefication Sea.

Arrival at the Ossuary

So, after playing Veilguard and learning of the unused concepts, I remain absolutely convinced that the Ossuary is a remnant of a time when the Dumat was still a thing. I always found it quite odd how Rook just sails out into the sea and somehow teleports into the Ossuary. Even calling it teleporting is rather generous; it’s just a straight-up fade to black! Well, in this rewrite, we do have the Dumat, and thus shall utilise this concept as we can.

After a while, our favourite dragon submarine reaches a particularly murky part of the sea, which seems intentional, according to Isabela. And we agree, since we can sense some kind of magic out in the water. Concealment, perhaps.

After a while, though, we can see lights in the distance. There’s our destination. Time to board the Silence. This time, Isabela shall remain aboard the Dumat, in case quick help from the larger vessel is needed.

Well, the Rook’s party boards the Silence and Varric takes the steering wheel. What follows next is an incredibly atmospheric cutscene of the Silence gliding through the murky waters, towards the strange lights. I can imagine some killer ambient soundtrack playing here.

After a while, we leave the murkiness behind and find ourselves in a clear area deep beneath the waves. And before us, we see the Ossuary.

It is a magnificent sight to behold. A great ruin stands at the bottom of the sea, and we can make out that it is, indeed, of elvhen origin, something Bellara is both delighted and angered by. Delighted that another piece of elvhen history is about to be uncovered, and angered that the Venatori are defiling it.

The ruin itself is largely intact, having seemingly survived the great destruction of Arlathan. The Venatori seem to have raised a force field around it, no doubt employing various spells. Neve wouldn’t be surprised if the same kind of magic is used here as in Minrathous. But how exactly do the Venatori get prisoners down here? Better question: how do they get down here? Nobody else in the world possesses a submarine like we do.

A few moments later, we get our answer: from somewhere above, presumably a ship on the surface, a group of Venatori descends on a large platform. One of them casts a force field around it. It’s the same type of platform people use in Minrathous to get up to the floating buildings, such as the Archon’s Palace. As they reach the great force field around the Ossuary, they simply phase through it, as though gliding through gel. Imagine something akin to the Gungan shields in Star Wars.

Okay, so the plan is easy enough. We find a secluded spot, move the Silence through the shield just enough for us to exit it, and then whoever remains at the wheel steers her out again. At this point, we get to choose our one party member for the group, since Lucanis is going to be our second. Given how relevant the Venatori are here, we pick Neve.

Quietly, the Silence lowers itself to the bottom of the sea, where it almost touches the sand dunes. It moves in through the shield until it’s halfway there. Rook and Neve climb out and land on the sand. Okay, so far so good, we’re not spotted yet. We wave for the others to join us. But just as they are about to do so, a massive shadow appears out of the darkness of the sea. For a moment, we think it might be the Dumat, but no, oh no. We are approached by a Cetus, a gigantic sea serpent, a sea dragon essentially. And it’s coming right for the Silence. Bellara and Harding urgently motion Varric to steer the Silence away. Varric curses but manages. Just in time. The Silence surges away right as the Cetus is about to close its jaws around it. The great beast then begins to pursue the rest of the party, and soon they are lost in the murkiness. Well fuck, we should have known the Ossuary has a guard dog!

Yeah so, I always wanted to see some kind of sea monster in Dragon Age. And there are some, according to lore, the Cetus being one of them! And since we’re going with the concept of an aquatic approach to our base and means of transportation, we have to include sea monsters at some point. So here’s one! I think it’s a fitting way to introduce one by having it guard the Ossuary.

Rook and Neve quickly rush towards the nearest ruin before anyone sees them. Well, the rest of the party won’t be helping us anytime soon. We can only hope that they’re faster than the beast. And there also goes our escape plan for now. We don’t know how to contact anyone. So...we’ll just have to wing it. Yippie.

Into the Ossuary

As we make our way towards what we believe to be some kind of entrance, we are suddenly intercepted by a Venatori patrol, of whom we make quick and short work.

As the Venatori lie dead before us, Neve suddenly has an idea. What if we were to disguise ourselves? The Venatori have cloaks and masks; nobody would recognise us, not even Rook for being an elf. So...

Do we disguise ourselves as a Venatori member? We will constantly have to roleplay accordingly as to not arouse suspicions.

Or we can leave it, blasting and stealthing our way through instead.

I would like to mention that the Venatori option only comes up if Neve is in the party or Rook is a Shadow Dragon. And even then, it only works if Rook is a human or an elf, as dwarves and Qunari are way too obvious to spot.

Rook absolutely hates the idea, but she is open to spilling as little blood as possible. It would be nice not to be attacked at every corner. So, we choose to play a little dress-up. Rook makes sure to cover her face, and Neve even puts a boot over her prosthetic. Well, we’re going to make for some fine Venatori mages. Neve just suggests leaving the talking to her, since she has far more experience with the Venatori than us.

We approach the entrance into the ruins, and are immediately stopped by Venatori guards, who inquire if we’ve seen what the Cetus is so mad about. Neve immediately eases into the situation and dismisses the Soporati guard for asking stupid questions. If anyone’s wondering, yes, this is my take on us having to dress up as Venatori to spy on the enemy. And as you may have noticed, I made sure to cover our face and head, since we’re an elf and would otherwise immediately be discovered.

Now that we have entered the Ossuary without a fight, it’s time to do some exploring. But we best do it fast, since we likely won’t remain disguised forever.

Through Venatori Eyes

So, now comes a part of the mission that promises to be incredibly interesting. We’re going to try and get through the quest without attracting any hostile attention. Will we succeed? Let us see.

As we walk through a corridor with Neve, we discuss our objectives. We have to find out what the Venatori are actually doing here, what they need the slaves for, and where Lucanis Dellamorte is being held.

At some point, we pass the remnants of a gigantic halla statue. As a Dalish elf, we quickly make a deduction: The Ossuary must have been a Temple of Ghilan’nain during the days of Ancient Elvhenan. Bellara would love this. But why is it called the Cradle of Creation in old records? Ghilan’nain only made the halla, but she’s more associated with Navigation, Guidance, that sort of stuff. What exactly did she make here?

Eventually, we reach something that looks like an improvised recreational centre, more specifically a canteen. Here, we see Venatori sitting and chatting like ordinary people. This could be our chance to overhear some vital information. We decide to stay together, just for the sake of safety.

We make ourselves as inconspicious as possible and just walk around the room. Here’s what we can overhear:

Calivan, the Warden, is receiving more and more pressure from Zara Renata. The last few batches have been largely unsuccessful; progress is essential if they hope to further their plans.

Sorocan Pomonius, the son of the Magister who was killed by Fenris in Marnas Pell, is currently here, having recently delivered more slaves.

Some “subjects” have withered and died during the last ritual.

The Demon of Vyrantium is being kept in the most secure cell they currently have. Only Calivan and Sorocan have access to it.

Okay, so we finally have our confirmation that Lucanis is alive. And he’s here, amazing. Now, all we need to do is find and free him. Since Calivan is probably out of reach at the moment, we should be aiming for Sorocan. Now we only need to somehow reach him.

As Rook and Neve discuss how to proceed forward, the door suddenly opens and two men enter the room. One of them is quickly identified as Sorocan, for people refer to him as such. The other one, though, is an enigma. He has a strange aura about him, has long, black hair, looks almost androgynous, although the masculine slightly prevails, and his eyes are strangely golden, similar to Morrigan’s but darker and more insidious.

Sorocan announces that he needs a third Venatori to accompany him right now, ideally a mage. For a high-ranking Venatori he seems to be rather solemn and soft-spoken, which is kinda terrifying when you consider what he does.

The strange man by his side slowly steps forward, looks around...then points right at us. Rook needs to accompany them. And she needs to do so on her own. When Neve tries to follow, the man stops her and says that one will suffice, as Magister Pomonius has just declared (Sorocan is a Magister now, since his father is dead).

Rook is terrified, but she comes along, desperate not to take off her mask. The man by Sorocan’s side scrutinises us with such intensity; it’s as though he can see right through us. Something about him definitely isn’t normal.

Rook is then forced to accompany Sorocan and the stranger. Rook gives one last desperate “please help me” look towards Neve, but it’s too late now. We’re committed to this charade.

Sorocan and the stranger take us down several corridors and a staircase. As we do so, we see the Cetus pursuing the Silence in the distance. Luckily, our vessel has a pretty beastly design, for Sorocan immediately assumes the beast is just chasing its next meal.

At one point, the stranger asks us where we came from. Where were we most recently stationed? There seems to be mischief in his eyes as he says that. In our stress, we say Marnas Pell, to which Sorocan reacts with surprise and grief. Were we there? Were we there when the Blue Wraith murdered his father? Yes, we say, we were. Sorocan then asks accusingly why we didn’t do anything to save him. Why did we not prevent Pomonius’ death? And now comes a moment where our high charisma is essential. Luckily, we have that, so we manage a quick lie by saying how we were chasing some escaped slaves through the city when it happened. This seems to put Sorocan at ease, more or less, even though he’s still grieving.

Eventually, we are led into a vast chamber below the temple, containing numerous cells along the earthly walls. And as we enter, we hear screams, begging, and unnatural growls and roars. We pass the cells, and see, at first, people in an absolutely terrible state, slaves and prisoners of war begging to be released. But then, we pass one cell, and get a good look at the whole extent of the Venatori machinations. We see an abomination, one that desperately claws and bangs on the cell walls, determined to get out. And then we see more, and more. What do the Venatori want with abominations?

Rook, Sorocan, and the stranger eventually join a slightly larger group of Venatori, of whom Sorocan immediately takes command. It seems we are about to find out what’s going on here.

We enter a round chamber, which has a mural of Ghilan’nain on the floor. As a Veil Jumper, we immediately make that connection. Sorocan orders us and the other mages (there are seven of us in total, including Sorocan himself) to form a circle. A few moments later, a group of Venatori guards appears, leading an elven man in their midst, a slave by the looks of it, beaten, battered, and utterly chained. Sorocan then makes a speech on how even non-mages are going to be able to serve the ”rising gods” in a meaningful way. What does he mean by that? Who does he mean by that? Razikale and Lusacan?

The elf is then pushed into the midst of Ghilan’nain’s mural. Sorocan pulls a lever, and the ceiling opens to reveal...imprisoned spirits, attached to the physical world by a strange artefact. Players of DAI will immediately recognise it as one of the elven artefacts Solas had us look for in order to strengthen the Veil. It seems the Venatori have repurposed one of them in order to trap spirits in the physical world. This did actually happen in Tevinter Nights, in a story about Lucanis, no less.

Sorocan then approaches the elf and cuts him with a ritual dagger, drawing his blood. He then immediately begins performing a blood magic ritual. And we see in horror what the Venatori are actually doing in the Ossuary: Sorocan connects the elf’s blood with one of the spirits trapped above, and then forcefully begins pulling it down, down, closer to the elf, who begins to scream in pain. We are, with our own eyes, seeing a spirit being forced into a person’s body.

Now, a choice is given to us, quite a heavy choice:

Do we let the ritual proceed to maintain our charade?

Or do we stop Sorocan, exposing ourselves but saving the elf?

Or, a Veil Jumper-exclusive option: Do we disrupt the ritual by damaging the elven artefact? We know how to do this, for we’ve seen them in Arlathan Forest before.

Rook can be tough, but this is just too horrifying of a thing to witness. We can’t let this happen. No more abominations! As the other Venatori mages reach out to support Sorocan’s magic, Rook aims upwards and fires a spell right into the weakest part of the artefact.

Immediately, the artefact shatters and the spirits are free. Some immediately vanish back into the Fade, while others, like Justice and Valour, move in with murderous intent. The Venatori are immediately attacked, and Rook joins into the fight. Sorocan tries to put up a fight, but he’s no match for the combined power of Rook and the attacking spirits. He’s quickly overwhelmed. Now, in any other situation, we might have spared Sorocan, but a spirit of Justice makes the choice for us and absolutely annihilates the Venatori Magister.

Now on a rampage and no longer caring about disguising ourselves, we rush out of the ritual chamber, accompanied by the remaining spirits, and turn the cell complex into a Venatori meat grinder. We are joined here by Neve, who has been following the procession discreetly. At some point, some of the Venatori open the cells and we’re attacked by abominations, of which we make short work.

As the Venatori lie dead, Rook stands in the middle of the chamber, breathing heavily. Neve inquires about our well-being. We can either be tough, furious, or absolutely at a breaking point. After Marnas Pell straight to this insidious bulshit, Rook has a momentary breakdown, and Neve calms us down, reminding us to be in control of our emotions around spirits.

Eventually, Rook calms down and agrees. At this point, we’re still not the official leader of the whole northern operation; that’s Varric. So we do get this opportunity to be more vulnerable in Act 1 and lean on others. There’s no shame in showing that!

Once everyone has calmed down, we move to free the elf from his shackles, who thanks us and introduces himself as Neriel, a slave from Marnas Pell. Sorocan brought him along, as well as other slaves. Okay, so there are definitely more than what we’ve seen in this one chamber. Oh yes, definitely. Besides, we still have to find Lucanis. Do we have a way to get out of here? Yeah, we do, we say. But we need to somehow distract the Cetus first.

At this point, we are elegantly approached by the stranger. And now we realise that he wasn’t exactly participating in the ritual. He was also not there when we killed all the Venatori. He claps his hands and congratulates us for making this scenario so incredibly interesting.

Okay, we’re done with the games. Who is this guy, and why isn’t he attacking us? He dodges the questions and tells us that he’s been observing the Ossuary for a while, looking for the perfect moment to strike and free the slaves here. Okay, so he’s actually on our side? Despite being shady as fuck? He then gives us a piece of information: in Calivan’s tower, we can find the source of the magical force field. If we destroy it, we destroy the Ossuary. But we’d better save that for last, because those amounts of water will quickly kill us all if we don’t hurry. He nonchalantly asks if we have a way to get out of here? Yeah, we do. But the Cetus is kind of in the way. Ah, yeah, that. The stranger tells us of a gong located not far from here. The Cetus is trained to respond to it.

Right, then we find Lucanis, free the slaves, find the gong, get the Cetus distracted, organise the Dumat to pick up the slaves, then destroy the force field and make good our escape. And what about Calivan, the Warden? Well, it would be great if we didn’t encounter him at all, but if we do, let’s try to deal with him quickly. While we take care of Lucanis and the Cetus, the stranger, Neriel, and the remaining spirits will distract the Venatori and free all remaining slaves. Before they leave, we ask him one more time who he is and why he’s helping us. He smiles and simply replies with “I made a choice.” While he doesn’t directly state who he is, people familiar with Dragon Age up to this point might be hearing a bell ringing somewhere in their heads. I would invite you to take a guess on who this might be. It will be revealed eventually, but not in this chapter.

Lucanis Dellamorte

We return to Sorocan’s corpse and, indeed, he has the key to the deeper cells, including Lucanis’. Well, the time for dress-up has passed; now it’s all guns blazing.

Rook and Neve open the door to the lower cells, dug deep into the earth beneath the temple, and we rush in immediately, while the stranger, Neriel, and the spirits distract some of the Venatori and free the slaves. We suddenly hear Calivan’s voice projected across the Ossuary via an amplifying crystal. What in the Void is going on? All Venatori must immediately gather by the cells.

As we delve deeper into the cell complex, we come across two more ritual chambers guarded by Venatori, containing spirit-trapping elven artefacts. Being the liberators we are, we destroy the artefacts, freeing the spirits. But now comes something rather unsettling: when we destroy the last artefact, the spirits cry out to the Dread Wolf to save them, and take them back home. Immediately after, they vanish back into the Fade.

We pause and consider. Why are the spirits calling out to Fen’Harel? Do they expect him to save them? Is Solas aware of the Ossuary? Is he perhaps watching us right now, at this very moment? That man hasn’t even appeared in the flesh yet, and he’s already making us paranoid every step of the way.

On our way, we are attacked by both Venatori and abominations. Whenever we slay an abomination, there’s a chance that it will cry out to Fen’Harel as well. Somehow, all the spirits seem to be aware of him. What is Solas doing in the Fade? But more importantly...both spirits and demons seem to be drawn to him.

Eventually, we reach the deepest cell of the Ossuary and fight off a couple of Venatori mages. We then use Sorocan’s key to open it, and quickly enter.

Before us, we see a large icy formation, encasing a human shape. That must be Lucanis. We swiftly destroy the ice, and a man plummets out onto the ground before us.

Right, so, before we move on, I would like to comment on Lucanis’ introduction in the actual game. We meet a few Venatori, Lucanis shows up, dressed in full Crow attire, with all his weapons, kills everyone with ease, and immediately shows he’s possessed by Spite. Personally, I think we need a bit more intrigue here. So, let us now look at Lucanis’ introduction in this rewrite.

Instead of standing upright, dressed in full Crow leathers, Lucanis is lying on the ground, unconscious from his imprisonment, dressed in nothing but torn rags. It’s immediately obvious that this man has been tortured and put through hell. We perform a healing spell on him, and he slowly wakes up. His first words “Who are you? Who sent you?” still work in this context.

We give him a brief introduction. We’re Rook, this is Neve, we’re here to rescue him and destroy the Ossuary. Afterwards, we shall bring him to Treviso, and then, if Caterina is willing, we shall hire him.

Lucanis slowly gets up, quickly coming back to his senses. What we say makes sense to him. And if Caterina agrees, he’s our man. Despite being through so much, he still has the capacity to quickly turn on his Crow mentality.

We help him stand and leave the cell, but are quickly ambushed by three Venatori mages. To our surprise and awe, Lucanis quickly dashes forward and, while dressed in rags and with no weapons, utterly dismantles the Venatori, killing them with his bare hands. We just got a demonstration of how great of an assassin he is. And this is him after waking up from unconsciousness, and without any armour or equipment. Imagine what he can do when he’s at full strength. It also shows us that Lucanis doesn’t need Spite in order to be dangerous.

Lucanis quickly searches the dead Venatori and loots two daggers, which, while an embarrassment compared to Crow daggers, will do the trick for now. Before we leave, he needs to complete his contract, namely Calivan. Crows never break contracts. That one incident in Ferelden doesn’t count. Well, looks like we’re not dodging Calivan, after all. But first, we must reach the gong.

The Gong

Reaching the gong doesn’t take us long, fortunately. It even lies directly on the way to the Warden’s tower. While we encounter some Venatori on the way, most of them are busy with the larger force freeing the slaves.

Eventually, we reach the gong, which is located in a semi-flooded chamber outside the force field. It’s guarded by a Venatori mage and a few abominations, engaging us in a short fight.

Once that is done, we immediately hit the gong with full force, hoping it’s not too late. A loud sound echoes across the entire Ossuary.

We then get a cutscene of the Cetus immediately ceasing its pursuit of the Silence. The beast coils its way around the tower and slowly pokes its head out of the water, right into the chamber. Oh damn, we...didn’t really account for that. The Cetus sees us and lets out a deafening roar.

We are then engaged in a mini-boss battle against the Cetus. It will snap and bite, and occasionally shoot torrents of highly pressurised water on us. We’re not equipped for this sort of fight. Rook is going to tell Varric that they need a monster hunter later.

At some point, Lucanis jumps up and pokes the Cetus’ eye with his daggers. The beast roars and screeches, and thankfully retreats back into the water. Squirming and in pain, the Cetus vanishes in the murky depths. A few moments later, the Silence appears and navigates right into the chamber. The hatch opens and Varric, Harding, and Bellara poke their heads out. Varric thanks us for finally getting that beast off their back. They tried to reach the Dumat but it would always block their way.

Rook gives them a quick update on the situation. We need the Dumat here as soon as possible. The Ossuary is going down, and we need to escape with the freed slaves when it does. Varric agrees and then, when seeing Lucanis, offers to take him aboard, given his state, but Lucanis refuses. Calivan first.

The Silence departs and quickly vanishes in the dark waters, while the Cetus is still licking its wounds. Well, only two things remain now: Calivan and the force field.

The Warden’s Tower

Having provided the rest of the party with the opportunity to reach the Dumat, Rook, Neve, and Lucanis head back into the Ossuary, with our main goal now being the Warden’s tower, where Calivan resides. The man’s voice occasionally echoes across the facility, growing increasingly agitated at the chaos happening everywhere.

As we fight through some more Venatori, we ask Lucanis why the Venatori are doing what they do. He didn’t really hear much, but it’s apparently all in service to Razikale and Lusacan, the two remaining Old Gods. Neve wishes to finally know more. She is aware that the Venatori returned to their Old God roots after the fall of Corypheus, but is there anything tangible and specific there? Are the Old Gods whispering to them again, if the tales of old are to be believed? Or are they just delusional? We need to know more.

At this point, we also begin to wonder what Lucanis was doing in the most secure cell. We can see that he’s not an abomination; otherwise, we wouldn’t even be fighting side by side. Lucanis doesn’t say much, only that he was a success.

We reach the Warden’s tower and quickly begin ascending to the top. As we do so, we see a gigantic mural of Ghilan’nain and Andruil, perfectly crafted from thousands of mosaic pieces. They seem to be walking side by side. As a Dalish, we know that Ghilan’nain was Andruil’s chosen, according to legends, so this seems to very much confirm that.

We fight through a few more Venatori, until we reach a large door. There, Lucanis knows, lies Calivan’s study. Normally, an Antivan Crow would at least attempt to be discreet with their approach, unless they’re incredibly confident or outnumber their targets. But Lucanis wants to look Calivan in the eye as he kills him, purely out of spite.

Well, it’s not like Calivan has anywhere to run, so through the door we go.

Calivan

Calivan’s study is at the very top of the Ossuary. From here, he can basically overlook everything. As we enter the room, we are immediately met by the man himself, who seems to be at the end of his nerves.

This whole Ossuary business was Zara’s idea, and all he does is stand in for her. With everything happening at the Ossuary right now, he doesn’t even know what to tell her. And they have been so close to achieving more successes, as Lucanis here proves.

Neve asks Calivan what this is all for. And Calivan confirms that, apparently, the Old Gods have been whispering again. It turns out that the Venatori leadership currently consists of a Triumvirate, and all three are Dreamers. Zara happens to be one of them. Calivan reflects on the organisation a decade ago, when they had a tangible god to worship, and a leader to follow who actually had Tevinter’s best interests at heart; unfortunately, the Magisters eventually found out that she was of slave origin. He is, of course, referencing Calpernia. While she was in charge, the Venatori felt like something greater. It is here that we learn that Calivan is one of the Liberati, a former slave who was taken into apprenticeship by Zara after showing his magical skills. Zara kept that hidden and made him appear as a Laetan, instead. It was his secret hope that Calpernia would remain in control. Perhaps he would feel less like a traitor then. Now, he’s just a puppet for Zara, forced to torture and experiment on slaves. He couldn’t bear the guilt, so he convinced himself mentally that he was enjoying the whole process, effectively dying on the inside.

Well, Lucanis comments, if he feels dead already, then the next step won’t be as hard as it is for some. No matter how tragic Calivan’s backstory might be, Crows don’t break contracts. And Lucanis can’t bring himself to feel pity towards this man right now.

And so begins the boss fight against Calivan. At first, it starts off rather basic, with him throwing all kinds of spells at us, pretty similar to what happened in the actual game. Eventually, he releases the last of the Ossuary’s abominations on us, which we have to fight off, creating a greater challenge. But this is only the first phase, and it doesn’t last very long.

Eventually, Calivan produces a vial of blood, a phylactery, Lucanis’ phylactery to be specific. But how and why? Lucanis is no mage, so why would they need a phylactery here? And how does it even work? Calivan then performs a blood magic spell, and Lucanis starts attacking us, somehow being controlled via blood magic. We can either knock Lucanis out or fight Calivan and eventually destroy the vial. We attempt to go for the latter and dodge Lucanis as best as we can, which is easier said than done. After all, he is an Antivan Crow.

The third phase is where it gets interesting. Weakened and wounded, Calivan succumbs and...transforms into an abomination. It’s revealed that he himself had been forced through the ritual by Zara at some point in the past, making him one of the successful cases. And the demon that possesses him is one of Regret. So, now we’re fighting Calivan in the form of a Regret abomination. While the attacks are powerful, they are also slower and more hesitant, almost like he wishes to finally be released from his enslavement to Zara’s schemes.

In that third phase, something overcomes Lucanis. He shivers and screams, and then starts laughing, as his eyes glow purple. Spite has taken over. And this is how we’re introduced to Spite in this version of the story.

At the end of the fight, Spite, currently in control of Lucanis’ body, lunges upon Calivan and impales him several times, until the abomination finally lies dead at our feet.

Rook and Neve have an understandable WTF reaction to what they have just seen. Spite gives us a crooked smile, before cursing. “No! Too! Short!” Lucanis bends over, and when he stands straight again, he’s back to his normal self. Spite has retreated.

Alright, we’re so having this conversation right now. Is this what success looks like? Is Lucanis an abomination? But why is the demon not fully in control? Why only sporadically? And why doesn’t Lucanis’ whole body transform unnaturally? Being an abomination is usually a one-way ticket if the demon takes control.

Lucanis...absolutely has no idea how any of it works. He just knows that a spirit was forced into him, and it eventually became Spite, directly fuelled by Lucanis’ own thoughts of revenge and how to humiliate the Venatori for what they did to him.

Right...so the Venatori are creating controllable abominations. That is...highly disturbing. But we know that now! And we also know that there are three Venatori leaders. Neve is especially excited about this. If we can get to Zara and the other two, whoever they may be, we may dismantle the organisation for good.

We will discuss that whole topic of Spite later, once we’re safe. Now it’s time to vacate the Ossuary.

As if right on cue, we see the massive shape of the Dumat breaking through the dark waters. It slowly navigates towards the bottom of the sea, close to the force field. We see how the rescued slaves are being led towards the giant ship by the spirits. The giant “hangar” gates open, and Isabela and Varric, along with the other companions, begin ushering everyone in. Lucanis is absolutely awed by what he’s seeing down there.

Right, so the slaves are taken care of. Now to the force field.  We know where it’s source is: right below us, in the basement of the Warden’s tower.

Destroying the Ossuary

As Rook, Neve, and Lucanis make their way down into the basement, we get to have a very relevant discussion: how long will it actually take for the force field to vanish once its source is destroyed? Will it be gradual or instant? And if it’s instant, how will we bring this place down without dying ourselves? Well, we’ll have to see what we find down there first.

We make our way into the bowels of the Warden’s tower, where we eventually enter a round chamber, containing two large statues of Ghilan’nain and Andruil. Together, they are holding a lyrium crystal in the shape of a halla. For anyone wondering, no, this isn’t one of Ghilan’nain’s labs. This is something else. There are several veins of lyrium spreading across the room, forming strange elvhen symbols. There is a lot of magic in the air.

Right, so this is how the Venatori were fuelling the force field. There was this whole room of lyrium down here, powering an otherwise simple spell into the stratosphere.

We find that we’re not alone. Before us, we see Neriel, the elven slave we freed from the ghastly ritual earlier. He’s currently in the process of taking the lyrium halla for himself. We call for him to stop, and so he does. He asks us if the slaves are freed and safe. We confirm this. He is pleased to hear that. Now, he shall bring down the Ossuary, and take the halla. We then deduce a sinister truth: Neriel is another agent of Fen’Harel.

Neriel reveals that Solas knew about the Ossuary for a while and sought to free the slaves and spirits trapped within. While that was his primary concern, he also gave the order to retrieve the lyrium halla, for he requires its potency. This gives us another look at the Dread Wolf. He seems to truly be concerned for the well-being of the oppressed. Or is it just something he told Neriel? What if the halla is all he cares about?

Once Neriel removes the halla, the force field will vanish, and the Ossuary shall flood. As a token of personal gratitude, he will allow us to reach the Dumat before he brings the place down. But we need to hurry.

At this point, we can inquire about the Dread Wolf. We can try and convince Neriel to tell us more. To maybe give the halla to us? To turn away from Fen’Harel? Whatever he may have said, he wants to bring down the Veil and destroy the world. Neriel shakes his head. No. Fen’Harel seeks to restore the world. The world of the elves. A world without Tevinter. Without slavery. Without death. But how many will die to achieve that goal, we ask. What is the Dread Wolf prepared to sacrifice for that world to come back?

At this point, we are joined, once again, by the stranger. He saunters next to us, and gives Neriel a very interested look, asking him about the choice he is about to make.

Neriel, however, is absolutely loyal to Solas. He will remove the halla now. We should probably run now. The stranger shrugs, and moves as fast as lightning. A moment later, Neriel finds his chest impaled by a dagger. With absolute disbelief, he collapses and dies.

In utter shock, we ask the stranger why he just did that. He bought us some more time away from the Dread Wolf’s gaze. If Neriel had returned to him, he would have known everything about us. And we can’t have that. Before we can respond, the stranger takes up his dagger and rams it into the halla, causing several cracks to appear. He muses that we have a few minutes to reach the Dumat before the force field disappears, and urges us to go along. But...will he not join us? Will he die here? WHO IS HE?

The man just gives us a wink and promises that he will see us again, under, perhaps, different circumstances.

No time for this, we have to run. And run we do.

We get a cutscene of Rook, Neve, and Lucanis absolutely booking it out of the Warden’s Tower, through the now-empty Ossuary, out onto the sandy dunes, towards the Dumat. As we run across the sand, the force field vanishes, and water begins cascading down on us. Varric quickly ushers us in while Isabela is already closing the doors. And not a moment too early. The last thing we see before the Ossuary is crushed by the waters of the Venefication Sea is the stranger standing amidst the ruins, smiling.

We immediately join Isabela on the bridge as she navigates the submarine away from the crumbling place of dread. But the danger isn’t over yet. The Dumat starts shaking and groaning, and we see the Cetus re-emerge from the darkness, coiling its vast serpentine body around our ship.

Isabela curses. Of course, a fucking Cetus! No matter what she tries, the beast just won’t let go. It even starts biting into the hull.

Isabela then activates her personal amplifying crystal that was built into the ship, takes a deep breath, and calls in rising stress: “Sandal! BIG enchantment!”

In the Room of Runes, Sandal’s eyes immediately glitter. “Enchantment?” he asks. Bodahn urges him to be careful since they haven’t had a chance to properly try it out yet.

Sandal runs towards a newly installed, very large, flaming rune, and presses his hand upon it. For a moment, his eyes glow in a deep blue.

Outside, the Dumat’s maw opens wide, and unleashes the Dragon’s Breath. An absolutely devastating surge of arcane fire, powered by runes, tears into the Cetus, annihilating it. Its grasp around the submarine relaxes, and its massive body sinks into the depths.

Isabela leans back and sighs in relief. She activates the crystal again. “Good job, Sandal.”

Back in the Room of Runes, Sandal gives his father a wide grin. “Enchantment!”

This was, of course, our Dragon’s Breath upgrade in action! By completing side quest, selling stuff, hoarding coin, we managed to buy it. As such, the Cetus is now fried. And Sandal is happy.

Debrief

At some point later, the group reconvenes in the Meeting Chamber. The Ossuary is destroyed, dealing a huge blow to the Venatori. And Solas, as we suspected, was in on it. We still don’t know who that stranger was. But we freed the slaves. And we got Lucanis.

Regarding the slaves, some of them wish to join the crew of the Dumat. If we fight for peace, and against the Venatori, they want to contribute.

Do we employ the slaves?

Do we give them all to the Shadow Dragons?

At this point, Rook has just seen another agent of Fen’Harel, and he was killed to make sure Solas doesn’t know about the Dumat. But...the slaves are already here. They know about this. So...it might even be safer to keep them here. So, in this case, we agree to give a home and a job to everyone who wishes to stay here of their own free will.

So, we freed Lucanis. We can either head to Treviso right now and arrange a meeting with the Antivan Crows, or we can follow up on that intel regarding the Deep Roads. Lucanis, while preferring to go to Treviso and see his people again, is open to either. Caterina agreeing to him joining the crew is just a formality. Besides, he owes us for freeing him. We should consider him our man.

We are...nervous, however, given that whole Spite thing. Varric reminds us of Anders, and how he, while having committed a devastating act, was largely able to exist with Justice/Vengeance in him, and he still seems to be doing so, given that he hasn’t heard anything about him suddenly dying. Isabela is more open and accepting of Lucanis’ situation, stating how open the communication between Rivaini and spirits is. Lucanis’ situation is special, yes, but the concept is not too out of reach. Well, we shall be still watching him, for Lucanis’ own safety.

Lucanis himself is...fascinated by our task to stop the Dread Wolf. He doesn’t believe that the elven gods are actually gods, or exist at all, but a powerful mage masquerading as the Dread Wolf? That he understands. And he’s ready to pursue him.With that, the meeting is adjourned.

The Meditation Chamber

With Lucanis now a part of the team, a new section of the Dumat is now accessible to us: the Meditation Chamber.

It was fun having Lucanis hang out at the Lighthouse’s pantry, but I committed myself to providing each new place with a game-related function, so...yeah. Allow me to elaborate.

The Meditation Chamber is located somewhere in the lower section of the Dumat. It’s a dark chamber, only barely lit, with a transparent floor that allows us to see the endless depths of the sea beneath the submarine. If you have thalassophobia, this may not be an ideal place. But then again, if you have thalassophobia, the entire submarine might not be ideal.

Lucanis finds himself strangely at peace here, despite still being deep below the sea. And the stillness of the room allows him to always remain calm and collected, not giving Spite any easy chance to take control.

So, now Rook can also meditate. And here’s what it does: When Rook meditates, we gain a momentary increase for a stat of our choosing. So we can get a little boost to attack, or defence, or magic resistance, or perhaps even charisma. This effect lasts for one mission only, be it main or side quest, but can be reapplied whenever we return to the Dumat. And so the Dumat has gained another invaluable crew member.

The Other Rooks

And, as always, now comes the time to talk about what the other Rooks may have encountered during this mission!

Shadow Dragons

Rook can make the Venatori dress-up suggestion.

Being a Tevinter mage, Rook can blend into the Venatori far more easily.

Rook can imprison Sorocan and give him over to the Shadow Dragons.

Rook recognises Calivan from the events of his origin story.

Grey Wardens

Rook can conscript Sorocan into the Grey Wardens.

Rook once again gets a moment of Stone Sense in the lyrium chamber.

Rook imagines that he hears a voice carried by the lyrium inside the halla, calling for help.

Antivan Crows

Charter finds a quicker understanding with Teia and Viago due to Rook being an Antivan Crow. A connection is already established.

Rook can complete her contract on Sorocan by assassinating him.

Rook instantly finds common ground with Lucanis by being a de Riva.

Lucanis is willing to give Rook a share in the Calivan contract.

Mourn Watch

Rook can use her necromantic skills to try and calm down the spirits at the Ossuary, urging them to break the elven artefact themselves.

Rook feels something odd about the stranger, traces of something old and spiritual.

Lords of Fortune

Rook can find a secret room in Calivan's study, containing several valuables.

By looking around in the lyrium chamber, Rook can find a precious necklace, with a halla amulet made from a fine jewel.

Being from Rivain, Rook can explain the spirit communication culture to the crew.

And that is it for now! I'm not going to describe the introduction to Treviso in this chapter. I'll reserve it for when I talk about the regional quests of that area. Otherwise, this would have been way too long. Next time, we shall be tackling Davrin's recruitment mission and descend into the Deep Roads. Stay tuned!

Rewriting Veilguard Part 16 - Davrin

Lucanis jolted, surprised at how close the man’s voice was. He looked up into pale, soulless eyes, a square face framed in limp, silver hair. 

“Calivan,” he snarled. 

“Yes, yes,” the man said. “You did your homework and a Crow never fails his contract, so on and so forth.”

He knew of the contract? Lucanis blinked, still struggling to make sense of it all. 

“I can see that the sedative worked,” Calivan said. “The Demon of Vyrantium, practically docile as a cat.” He patted Lucanis’s cheek and Lucanis growled up at him through clenched teeth. “Well, perhaps a feral cat.” The man laughed, as if he’d never heard anything so funny in all his life. 

It seemed Calivan liked to talk. Liked hearing his own voice and proving just how clever he was. Lucanis could use that. 

“What is this place?” He asked.

“This,” Calivan said, gesturing with arms wide, “is the Ossuary!”

A seeping chill climbed up Lucanis’s spine. He’d heard rumors of a secret Venatori prison. Had heard whispers of people vanishing across Vyrantium and Minrathous. That the Venatori were conducting experiments in some mysterious location that only the highest ranking cultists knew of.

And now, it seemed, Lucanis had found it. Or, rather, it had found him. 

“Credit where it’s due,” Calivan continued. “The elves certainly understood the need for grandeur.” He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “A shame that understanding didn’t extend to the martial arts.” He sighed, as if lamenting the elves’ loss, then grinned at Lucanis. “I hope you like it here,” he said. “Because you are never, ever going to leave.”

A trap, Lucanis realized. The whole contract had been a trap. Had Calivan even been in Vyrantium at the time? Or had he already been sequestered in this abyss, preparing for Lucanis’s arrival? And Caterina. Had she known? Had she sent him to his death?

No. She would never do such a thing. If she had known of the trap, then she expected him to survive it. 

“Having fun, Calivan?” An arch voice called, sounding at once amused and incredibly bored. 

Calivan flinched, backing away from Lucanis and turning to face the woman. That the man was comfortable turning his back on Lucanis infuriated him. He wanted to lunge up, to twist this man’s neck so violently that more than just his spine would snap. That muscle and sinew would shred and tear and Calivan would shriek with pain in his final breath. 

Lucanis gnashed his teeth, flexed his legs and back and stomach and arms, seeking a point of weakness. Surely, there must be some flaw he could exploit. 

“Ah, ah!” The woman said. She snapped her fingers – expensive, manicured nails – and a pulse of power slammed him back against the marble. “None of that, now, Demon.”

His head pounded, his blood roaring in his ears as that icy panic rose up in his chest. The pain in the crook of his arm made a sudden, terrible sense. 

“You have my blood,” he said. 

The woman came into sight, trailing one of those perfect nails along his jaw. Her face was pale, surrounded by a cascade of glossy, dark hair. It poured over her shoulders in impossibly perfect waves. Red lips, expertly painted, curved into the sharpest smile Lucanis had ever seen. 

“It was the first thing I took from you,” she purred. “After your freedom.” Her hand traced his jaw, down his throat and along his collarbone. Her touch felt like fire and ice, burning then numb, unpleasant but just short of painful. 

“Do you know who I am, Demon?”

He did, though he’d never seen her in person before. Zara Renata’s beauty, and its rumored cost, were renowned across the Imperium. As was her prodigious ego.

Lucanis quirked a brow at her, keeping his gaze bored. “Should I?”

Zara scowled for just a breath before she broke into laughter. “Oh! And here I’d worried your stubbornness had been exaggerated!” She grinned at him. “This will be fun.”

On that last word, she dug her nails into Lucanis’s chest, hard enough to draw blood. But, if she wanted a reaction, Zara would only find disappointment. She would have to do worse than that for Lucanis to break. 

Much, much worse. 

She withdrew her hand, licked his blood from her fingertips with a pleased giggle. “But, where are my manners?” She pressed her index finger to his lips, wet with a mixture of her spit and his blood. “Are you hungry, Lucanis?”

He was. Judging by the ache in his belly, it had been days since his last meal, and that had been a light one. He never had much appetite on the job. At the thought of food, his stomach betrayed him and growled loud enough for them all to hear. 

“You are, poor thing,” Zara cooed. “Calivan?” She called, never once looking away from Lucanis. 

“Yes, Mistress?” The man’s tone was much softer when speaking to Zara, edged with a sliver of fear. 

Lucanis snorted. “Cobarde.”

Zara hummed, her mouth twisting with restrained mirth. Then she gripped Lucanis by the chin. “Bring our guest his meal.”

Lucanis’s eyes widened, another lance of icy fear hurtling up his spine. He clenched his jaw, already resolved to refuse whatever this Venatori witch intended to feed him. 

“You’re so brave,” she whispered. “So determined. But, don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll make sure you savor every last bite.”

Calivan appeared beside the table, a small chunk of… something floating between his hands. It was purple, and looked like a hunk of rock. But, the closer it came to him the worse Lucanis’s head pounded. He wanted to ask what it was, this strange, magical rock. Wanted to ask what it would do to him. But, he would have to open his mouth to ask such questions, and Lucanis would rather die.

So, he clenched his jaw shut and flexed every muscle to stillness, bracing for what Zara would do next. 

Her grip on his jaw tightened, as if she could wedge his mouth open with just the force of her fingers. Lucanis glared at her, but remained unmoved. Zara snorted. “It’s going to be a very long stay,” she said. “If you insist on resisting me.”

She was trying to goad him into speaking, to snap and open his mouth so Calivan could shove that thing down his throat. But, Lucanis was smarter than that. 

He’d never been fond of meditation – a still body had never granted him a still mind. He preferred action, tasks that required just enough focus that he might quiet what thoughts remained. But, Lucanis did not need to like something to be good at it. And Caterina had insisted he learn to think of nothing, to leave his body behind if he must. Should he ever find himself in just such a situation as this. 

So, Lucanis looked away from Zara, up past the purple stone that hovered above his face. He looked up and away and through the glass dome, thinking only of the air coursing in and out of his lungs. 

Think nothing.

Feel nothing.

He would survive this. He would kill Calivan first, complete his contract –trap or no– and then he would kill Zara Renata and return to Treviso. Or… he wouldn’t, and he would die here. Regardless, Zara would get nothing from him save for disappointment and death.

She sighed, a frustrated, almost disgusted sound. “So vexatious,” she said. “When all I want is to help you become the best assassin Thedas has ever seen.”

He almost snorted at that. The best assassin in Thedas would never be seen. Idiota. Lucanis ignored her. 

“Fine,” she said. “I hardly expected you to accept my help, after all.”

He could hear the smile in her voice. 

“I have other ways to make you obey.”

Again, that pulse of power, a strange heat coursing along his veins. It made his eyes itch terribly, made his head thump worse than any hangover he’d ever had. One-by-one his limbs relaxed against his will. In his mind he heard a whisper, Zara’s voice over and over again–

Surrender, Lucanis. Submit. You’re mine, little Crow. You’re mine. You’re mine, you’re mine, you’re–

No! He would not submit. He would never surrender to these filthy, racist blood mages. She would have to kill him. 

“You’re mine,” she said, her voice in his mind and his ears. Her breath on his cheek made him flinch, but his body did not move. “MINE!”

Lucanis’s jaw went slack. Zara squeezed his mouth open and he was screaming, roaring, though no sound fell out of his lips. 

“Hurry!” She growled at Calivan. “He is strong.”

Lucanis screamed and roared and writhed, but nothing happened. His body was limp, relaxed and unmoving while his mind rioted against Zara’s control. 

And then the stone passed through his lips. It hissed and fizzled against his tongue, like little lightning strikes, and Lucanis lurched with the contact. 

Zara shoved his mouth closed, her power focused on his throat, willing him to swallow down the stone. He was helpless against her, though her focus allowed him to flail against his bindings once more. 

Calivan flinched as Lucanis rocked on the slab, the leather and buckles creaking against his skin. Lucanis snarled, his teeth bared at the man, though he still could not open his mouth. 

“Strong, indeed,” Calivan said. A glint of intrigue, maybe even fascination, shone in his eyes. But, it wasn’t enough to disguise the fear that lurked there, too. 

Lucanis relished that fear, committed the look to memory so he could replay it while he dreamed of the man’s death. Because Calivan would die. It was simply a matter of time. 

And then Zara pushed again and Lucanis swallowed the stone. 

Fire. Every fiber of his being burst into flames as the rock landed in his stomach. Lucanis burned, so hot that he did not notice when Zara released her hold on him. He did not notice when his screams fell from his lips once more. 

There was only fire, scorching and relentless. 

There was only pain. 

And then, there was the blissful relief of the dark.  

****

Lucanis awoke to nothing. He stood in a swirling gray mist, faintly gleaming with a purple light, of which he could not find the source. Dimly, he recognized that somewhere, someone was screaming. His limbs ached and burned, but as soon as he acknowledged the feeling, it faded. 

He spun, looking for anything more distinct than fog, and the purple light followed him. Was this… the Fade? Was he…?

“Am I dead?” He murmured, looking at his hands. He was surprised to see he wore his gloves once more. A quick glance confirmed he was back in his armor again. 

Noooooo, a voice hissed from the mist. She won’t. Let YOU die.

He spun again, and again the purple light followed. It coalesced as he watched, the light forming a column about the same height as Lucanis. 

“You mean, Zara?”

Yessssss, the voice said, and the light flickered with the sound. She wantsssss, it said. Pain. Wants to. BREAK you.

“Why?” Lucanis asked. There were undoubtedly countless reasons why Zara Renata would want him dead, and painfully so. But, this… thing seemed to know more of her than Lucanis did. 

Break you, it said. Get. ME!

Lucanis scowled. “Why does Zara want you?”

The light sighed, as if smelling something pleasant. Demon of VyRANTium, it said. Abominationnnnnnnn.

Lucanis stared at the gathering of light. “Abomination?” The truth struck him then, like lightning. “You’re a demon!” He reached for his daggers out of habit, but of course, they weren’t there. Zara had taken them from him and – if he understood correctly – this wasn’t the real world, anyway. 

Nooooooo, the light hissed. Not. Yet.

“But you will be,” he countered. “If I let you possess me.” Is that what Zara had done to him? Fed him a demon so that he would become her plaything – a Master Assassin at her beck and call, so long as she had his blood?

No! The light – the demon – said. Don’t want. That!

“You’re a demon–”

–NO!–

“–fine,” Lucanis rolled his eyes. “A spirit that doesn’t want to possess me?”

Yesssssss. The light flickered again, pulling tighter together in the mist.  

Lucanis didn’t want to believe this… spirit. But, he did, especially about Zara. He crossed his arms. “Then, what do you want?”

WANT OUT! The light shouted. OUT! Break. Our. Chains! Kill her! Kill Zaraaaaaaaa! KILL KILL KILL KILLKILLKILLKIL–

“Mierda!” Lucanis raised his hands. “Enough!”

The spirit quieted down, and though it had no form, no eyes, Lucanis got the distinct impression that it was watching him. 

“I want those things, too,” Lucanis said. 

Yessssssss, the spirit said. 

Distantly, Lucanis noticed that the screaming had stopped. So had the roving, tingling burn in his limbs. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. 

“If I agree to this–”

–hnnnnnnnnnng–

“What will happen to me?”

The light didn’t flicker, didn’t speak for a long moment. Don’t. Know, it said. Never wanted. Out. Before.

“What does that mean?” Lucanis felt the start of a headache brewing behind his eyes. 

Zara stole! Pulled from the ALL. Brought HERE! Put. In. YOU!

Lucanis sighed. “I’m not even a mage.” Would this conversation be easier if he were? If he knew the first thing about the beings of the Fade?

The light growled. NO! Does not. Matter! No magic– the light made a sound like spitting –Zara CHEATS!

No. Lucanis didn’t think any experience with spirits would prepare him for a conversation with this particular being. 

“So, what’s the plan?”

SURVIVE! Escape! KILLLLLLLLLLL.

“And you won’t possess me?” He couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. But, he was stuck in the Ossuary. Zara and Calivan had shoved that rock down his throat and now he had a demon latched in his guts. What Lucanis did know about demons was that they liked to make deals. He figured, his best shot of surviving this was to team up with the demon, at least until he could escape and find a way to separate them. 

No! Won’t possess. Don’t WANT, the spirit said again, and it certainly sounded sincere. Won’t! So long. As Lucanissssss keeps. His word.

He smirked at the glowing mist. “I always complete my contracts,” he said. 

Yesssssss. The light flared, pulling together more and more light unit it looked vaguely person-shaped. Zara wants. A demon! Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Won’t get one! Not. From. US!

“Us,” Lucanis murmured. He blinked at the light, frowning. “Who are you?”

The light growled again, the mist swirling into shape until Lucanis stood face-to-face with a shadowy version of himself. 

Every detail, from his moles to the buckles on his leathers, were perfectly rendered in a thrumming purple light. The smile was wrong, though. Too sharp. And the eyes gleamed with a malicious, violet fire. 

I. Am. SPITE!

Lucanis watched the demon, horrified and fascinated all at once. He put his hands on his hips, and the demon mimicked the pose. “Spite…” Lucanis smirked and the demon smirked back. “I can work with that.”