#dabb2025

Report from Lieutenant Cremisius Aclassi

To the slackers pissing away time in the Hinterlands: 

Long time no see, boys. Maker willing, this letter finds you faster than you find the end to your assignment. Got some updates for you. 

The Chief isn’t Qunari anymore. Not in the sense that he shaved his horns and started wearing a shirt, but in the sense that he’s “tal-vashoth.” You know, same kind as the ones he was fighting up in Seheron. Ones he said were all insane and savage and what have you. Turns out that was all Bull-shit. Or, at least, seems to be so far. Maybe the madness’ll start to kick in next Tuesday. He hasn’t put out the formal announcement yet, but it’s not hard to tell with the way the Qunari agent, Gatt, disappeared by the time we made it back to the Chief. He should’ve been there. 

The Herald’s a tal-vashoth, too. I know you haven’t met him yet, but he’s good. So good that he hurts to look at, sometimes. You know those Chantry brothers that can just look at you and make you want to vomit up every stupid thing you’ve ever done or said? That. That’s what he’s like. And the big, grey bastard would probably hold your hair and pat your back while you were hunched over the bucket. If that’s what a tal-vashoth is actually like, I’m not worried about the Chief. He’s in good hands. And some really big ones at that, ones actually fit to hold his fat ass. 

Probably important to mention what happened. We were on track to secure an alliance with the Qunari—the proper Qunari, not the Herald, the ones who’d spear me without thinking as soon as they realized I was a Vint—and the position we were holding was royally fucked. More Venatori than we thought were making their way up the beach, and if we kept trying to hold them off, keep them from attacking that stupidly large Qunari warship, we’d be dead if the Chief didn’t run in and save us. But the Chargers aren’t cowards. Void take me, I’d rather die than run. Not doing that again. Maker knows that there wouldn’t be another Chief to swoop in and save me the next time I ran. 

And then that damn horn sounded. Cut right through the storm like some- Damn it, I’ve been spending too much time around the Herald, trying to talk all poetic. He’s a loon about poetry, by the way. Not sure if I’ve mentioned that yet. Shit, now that I’m writing, I’m wondering if maybe the Venatori got in a knock or two. Rattled my brain around something so fierce that I can’t even remember the blow. 

As it goes: Chief is tal-vashoth. Herald’s been tal-vashoth. I think we nearly died. Writing this in the tent while the Chief and the Herald sit in the rain. I don’t know what they’re talking about. Rocky is snoring and the rain is hitting the tent and the candle is low and they’re not even talking anymore. They’re just quiet and that’s the worst part. The Chief should be joking and telling everyone to quit worrying but he’s not. Not really. He was laughing and joking and being the Chief the whole walk to this shit camp, but there was something off. Chief, if you’re reading this, if you’re still a snitch and a snoop even after you’re tal-vashoth, fuck the rest of them. All the Qunari. If one sunk ship’s enough to disown you, they don’t know how much you’re really worth. At least five, I’d say. Maybe more. 

Chief’s a free agent now. Still our Chief. Hoping that the Herald being grey’s a good sign. It’s still fucking raining. 

Horns pointing up. 

A couple things about Cesare:

He's a strong swimmer and enjoys fishing and bow hunting

Though he is strictly homosexual he flirts with all genders as friendly banter or as part of his job

He reads romance novels about fictional Crows (or other assassin romance novels) and keeps an elaborate shipping chart. I imagine Varric promised that if Cesare rescued him he would write a gratuitous assassin romance novel for him (with puppets)

He has a reputation for being sweet & stupid which people find either endearing or annoying, or both. If he was actually stupid he would not be alive but he likes being the dumb baby

The Chantry sold him to the Crows for the price of 1 candle around age 4. He got his stuffed lamb Celestine from the Chantry orphanage and brought his toy with him

His original in-game name was The Cookie and he was even more pink

The crepe was poisoned

Swans:

Swans come up a couple times. Cesare is the ugly duckling and also Odette from Swan Lake.

Cesare's appearance is inspired by Odette. His outfit has white feathers, and his horns resemble the headpieces worn in the ballet.

Von rothbart (the owner of the warehouse) is the wizard who curses Odette in swan lake. In the ballet, the prince is tricked into marrying the black swan because she looks like Odette, which would have happened in Lucanis's dream if Spite hadn't taken his place.

The dream section:

It's supposed to seem like Cesare and Viago's dream was praise and power, but it was actually Viago being able to make meaningful change in Antiva, and Cesare's dream was absolution through dying. There was originally a conflict where they confronted each other about the dream, but it didn't fit in the end.

Lucanis's dream was straightforward, he would have had a normal life and a normal family (if it had worked).

Teia's dream was a little different because the demon was frustrated by how hard she was to manipulate, so it gave her a nightmare instead, where the Crows were being eradicated and all her friends were dead. In this version of events, she had become a much more spiteful and dangerous person because she had been alone for so long and was the last living Talon trying to lead whoever was left.