#hollix

Creating Rook

For the sixth and final time, we return to the CC and pick the final faction, the Lords of Fortune. We get this little intro blurb:

“You are a Lord of Fortune. An informal collection of explorers, hunters, and treasure-seekers from Rivain, the rowdy Lords are famed for both daring exploits and narrow escapes. Having been raised among ships and ruins, the untethered life has been yours for as far as you can think back, “For Gold and Glory” are not just words to you, but the very creed of your life. So when a great treasure hunt is called upon by your leaders, you are among the first to volunteer. This could be your chance to coat your name in everlasting glory. Should you succeed, of course.”

In the original Veilguard, Rook’s last name is Laidir. Once more, we’ll have to come up with an explanation for why that may be so, given that we can choose to play any of the four races. So let’s get a little spicy again.

It’s mentioned in DATV that Rook was a slave on a Tevinter galley, and I think that’s actually a pretty solid start to the backstory we can develop here. So, in this rewrite, Laidir was a teenager on said galley. Not remembering their real parents, they were rescued by the Felicisima Armada, Isabela specifically.

Before we proceed, let’s establish some race-unique circumstances of why Laidir was on that galley:

If Laidir is a human or an elf, they were born into slavery.

If Laidir is a dwarf, they are a surfacer serving out a criminal sentence in the name of their parents (since dwarves are the only race that shouldn’t be able to be enslaved in Tevinter due to the ancient trade relationships that still persist).

If Laidir is a Qunari, they are a prisoner of war turned slave who was captured in a Tevinter raid in one of Seheron’s colonies.

Isabela brought them to Llomerryn, where they were raised by a Rivaini Seer in league with the Lords of Fortune. The name of the Seer? Laidir. Yeah, we’re going with the adopted angle once more but it does make sense. And having our adopted parent be a Seer will immediately put us close to Rivaini culture, which is something truly in need of further expansion. And here are some class-specific background details we can go with:

If Laidir is a warrior, they were trained in the monster hunting aspect the Lords of Fortune also employ, similar to Taash.

If Laidir is a rogue, they were mostly trained in the classic treasure-hunting ways the Lords of Fortune are so famous for.

If Laidir is a mage, they were taught by their adoptive Seer mother in the ways of spirit communication. Bonus points if Laidir is female, as that would mean she could become a Seer herself due to Rivain’s matriarchal society (which, again, is something we should have seen more of in the game).

Now what does this initial backstory instantly give us? The desire to be free and unbound by any nation’s laws was already there since the beginning. If we started off as a slave/prisoner, the Lords of Fortune and, by extension, Rivain, provide us with the freedom we never knew before.

So, for this playthrough, we choose a non-binary elven rogue called Maya Laidir.

Now that we have finalised our Laidir, we press the start button and get to enjoy the last of Varric’s unique faction-specific intro narrations.

In the Lords of Fortune opening, Varric comments on how the waters around Rivain and beyond are growing increasingly restless. Raider attacks increase, more and more fleets of the Felicisima Armada go rogue and turn against their comrades, and the Antaam, even though mostly focused on Tevinter and Antiva, pushes against the mainland. In addition, the Seers speak of chaos in the Fade as the spirits become more and more frantic. Something is happening beyond the Veil. And in the midst of all this, the Lords of Fortune thrive and lend their skills. Monster hunters, treasure-seekers, explorers, for gold and glory, you can get them to do pretty much anything remotely adventurous. Just like the Armada, with whom they share close ties, they are an informal organisation that can, in times of need, effectively unite. Such as now, actually: The Lords of Fortune were called to assemble in Llomerryn, the ancient stronghold of the Felicisima Armada, for a task of great promise. The most skilled treasure hunters in all of Thedas, that’s exactly where Varric hopes to find someone for a “hunt” of his own.

And with all that established, let’s get right into the game!

Llomerryn

So, right off the bat we shall make a bit of a drastic change to the way the Lords of Fortune are depicted in our version of Veilguard. We shall give them an actual, proper base. The Hall of Valor is a neat place, but it has more of a mini-game feel to it than an actual HQ. Think of the Grand Necropolis, that's a place I could call a base. And in this rewrite, we gave the other factions clearly defined strongholds as well. And what better place for the Lords of Fortune than the politically neutral port-city of Llomerryn?

So a little bit of background lore: Llomerryn is the city the Felicisima Armada calls their home, their main port so to say. Think of Tortuga or Shipwreck Island from Pirates of the Caribbean, only on a much larger scale. That’s pretty much what we’re going with here. But way before that, it was also the place where peace was made with the Qunari at the end of the new Exalted Marches. The Llomerryn Accords stem from here. It is a pretty significant place in Thedas’ history, and now it serves as a hub for all the scum and villainy of the Waking Sea.

Now, why is the main place of the Felicisima Armada also a gathering place for the Lords of Fortune? Well, as lore states, the Lords of Fortune have very direct ties to the Raiders of the Waking Sea, often aiding each other in their exploits. It would, therefore, stand to reason that they would also be able to share gathering hubs.

Meeting Bharv

We get a small intro cutscene in which Laidir arrives on Llomerrynn aboard a small vessel from Dairsmuid. Our first order of business is to meet with Bharv, one of the more senior Lords of Fortune still kicking, which is why he was chosen as one of the leading figures for this whole assembly.

Okay, I can practically hear some of you asking the following two questions: Who is Bharv? And where is Isabela? Allow me to explain.

Bharv is a dwarf and appears in Tevinter Nights as one of the POV characters, more specifically in the story Herold had a Plan. It ended with him meeting Vaea to deliver a healing amulet to ease the pain and suffering brought on by the war between Tevinter and the Antaam.

I don’t necessarily think the Lords of Fortune should have a singular leader. It all depends on the circumstances. And since Bharv is one of the most experienced ones around, it kinda just fell to him.

And where is Isabela? Shouldn’t she be leading the Lords of Fortune as depicted in DATV? Well…no.

Something I want to establish right off the bat is that Isabela is not the leader of the Lords of Fortune in this rewrite, for a couple of reasons. First of all, I just can’t see her in this position without significantly changing her character. The Isabela we meet in Veilguard is just so drastically different to the one we knew from before that it might as well have been an entirely new character. True, part of that is because there is no World State in that game, but she also feels like a placeholder, you know? Like BioWare had a different plan for her but didn’t want to discard the already-finished model when said plan changed. Which…is actually kind of the case if we look at the original concepts. My second reason is…I just need Isabela for something else in this rewrite, something more befitting her character, but we’ll get to that later.

So, instead, we’ll have Bharv and someone else acting as the momentary leaders for the Lords of Fortune.

Once we arrive in Llomerynn, we immediately meet Bharv on the docks and get the whole gist of the situation: So basically, the Lords of Fortune have been called to participate in a series of daring expeditions across Rivain and the Waking Sea, with support from the Felicisima Armada. With the increasing Antaam raids, led in Rivain by a lovely chap called the Dragon King, the restless spirits, and all the other serious shit happening across Northern Thedas, it’s thought best to retrieve a bunch of ancient artefacts and sell them to the highest bidder in order to better equip both the Armada and the Lords for the surely troubling times to come. And as it so happens, we have been selected for a particularly daring exploit, but more on that later. First, we need to go to the Golden Deck and meet Hollix, our second leading figure.

In our first dialogue instance as Laidir, we can now express our feelings towards this whole affair. In our case, we long for a bit of daring adventure as our last few hunts were rather dull.

Exploring the Docks

While we look for Hollix, we get a brief window of opportunity to explore the docks of Llomerryn. And they are pretty gigantic. We see several ships from all across the world taking a brief respite here, fully taking in the absolute might of the Felicisima Armada. As we’re walking here, we can spot some interesting things and overhear a bit of sailor gossip:

A few sailors from nearby note how Estwatch, the second stronghold of the Armada, has been strangely deserted recently, and all gates and doors shut.

Some raiders who sailed past the Orlesian coasts note how they spotted a few ships from Tevinter lingering in the harbours, more than usual.

A few pirates from the Nocen Sea report on the increasingly brutal and visceral conflict between Tevinter’s Legions and the main bulk of the Antaam led by the Arishok. The battles in and around Seheron are growing more desperate.

We can see a statue on the great open place beyond the docks, showing members of the Felicisima Armada and members of the Qunari sign the Llomerryn Accords. The Qunari are way less maintained than the sailors, showcasing the peoples’ disdain for them.

Meeting Hollix

So, before we continue, let’s talk about Hollix for a moment, and why I chose them as the second leading figure for the Lords of Fortune. “Hollix” is an alias this individual took for themselves in Tevinter Nights when they were employed by Dorian Pavus to hunt down a monster in Minrathous. For the ease of this game, we shall say that they just ran with “Hollix” after that memorable adventure. They are a master of disguise and an incredibly skilled combatant, especially against monsters. It would make sense to have them as our second person in charge next to Bharv.

Now, what is the Golden Deck? Well, since Llomerryn is largely the Armada’s place, we need a location the Lords of Fortune can call their own. Let’s have some fun here: The Golden Deck is comprised of a bunch of shipwrecks, repurposed into a single large tower-like building. It stands on a small isle next to Llomerryn’s docks. From the outside, it looks a bit ramshackle, quite obviously improvised and thrown together from multiple things. But once you’re inside, oh that’s a different story entirely. The floors and pews are covered in gold and expensive carpets, various treasures and trophies are on display in every room you enter. There is a large tavern-like mess hall on the ground floor where delicious foods are being served, and a large open swimming area. Huh, basically, I’m describing a Monster Hunter hub to you right now. But yeah, that’s pretty much on point. We won’t have talking felyne cooks though.

Hollix is currently in the process of regaling the assembled Lords of Fortune with the very tale they got their name from, until Bharv interrupts and tells them to come up with something new. Hollix excuses themselves and vaults over to where we stand and makes a very dramatic introduction.

A few minutes later, we’re sitting at a table, eating some seafood and discussing the exploit for which Laidir was chosen. So basically we have to explore an island somewhere off the north-eastern coast of Rivain, which was, until recently, a Qunari base, until a dragon forced them away and made it her breeding ground. Nobody knows the island’s name, only that it contains strange ruins, amidst which the dragon made her nest. We must scour the ruins for anything the Antaam left behind, or maybe didn’t even notice.

As with all current expeditions, the Lords of Fortune are supported by a ship of the Armada. And this endeavour is no exception. In our case, we shall be boarding the Siren’s Call II, captained by none other than Isabela, a person both Laidir and the player are very familiar with.

So, as I mentioned earlier, Isabela is not the leader of the Lords of Fortune in this rewrite, but she is one of the Armada captains closely associated with them. I just can’t see Isabela ditching her Admiral status and her fleet to hang out in the Hall of Valor all the time. She could be doing both at the same time, but yeah…I think it’s best if she stays a captain and we get to enjoy her in all her Isabela glory.

We are also to be accompanied by Taash, the Dragon Slayer, who is already on the island, getting a good measure for the dragons. We are, as Laidir, familiar with Taash and their childhood in the Qun, having been on some exploits together.

Once all is set and done, we are free to enjoy the rest of the evening before setting sail tomorrow.

The Golden Deck

We can, of course, simply go to sleep and skip forward to the next day in order to progress with the main quest. But being the explorers and completionists we are, we take this chance to explore the Golden Deck and talk to some pretty interesting people:

We can talk to Hollix and Bharv and get some retellings of their adventures during Tevinter Nights and how they became the leading figures of the Lords of Fortune for this operation. They just happened to be the most seasoned and skilled members around, so it just fell on them. They’re taking it in stride, however.

We find a table of four people, one of them being Mateo, a fellow Lord of Fortune and merchant. Next to him, we find (Formerly) Sister Laudine, Philliam, a Bard!, and Brother Genitivi. Why are they here? Well, in Tevinter Nights, after faking their deaths and narrowly escaping, they took refuge in Rivain. It only makes sense that Mateo would offer them protection with the Lords of Fortune, and now we get to talk to them here. At first, it might not be obvious who they are, but the more we listen to them (if we are familiar with the lore), the easier to recognise they are.

We can talk to Shathann, Taash’s mother. It is important to note that Shathann is the only one who refers to Taash as “she”. We shall discuss that a bit later. We don’t yet know that Taash is a fire-breather, so that conversation isn’t happening. What we can get from her here are a few interesting lore bits about the Qun as a whole, and how the Antaam is not to be mistaken for a true representation the entire Qunari society.

Last but not least, we can talk to Seer Laidir, our adoptive mother, who is, of course, overjoyed to see us, even for a brief time. We get a rare moment of vulnerability from our Laidir as we allow ourselves to be comforted and embraced by her. In the ensuing scene, we get more information about the restlessness beyond the Veil, and how communication with the spirits has become more difficult. Almost as if something is holding them back.

Once all points of interest are dealt with, we head off to bed and skip forward to the next day.

The Siren’s Call II

Next morning, a ship docks right next to the Golden Deck. A magnificent vessel of tremendous power, the Siren’s Call II. From it steps Isabela, Admiral of the Felicisima Armada.

I get what BioWare might have been going with in Veilguard, but in this rewrite, Isabela is actually wearing clothes. The concept art shows her with a badass coat and tricorn, and that’s the look I think would best suit her in her new position of power.

Isabela recognises us and remembers the day she freed us from the slave ship. We can exchange some words. Our Laidir is pleased to see her. Although the two never meet for long occasions, the meetings are always memorable. Given this, we’re very much looking forward to sailing to Dragon Island, as it is currently dubbed for the lack of an official name.

After gathering our things, we readily board the ship and the Siren’s Call II sets sail away from Llomerryn.

An Old Friend

As the ship sails on, Isabela introduces us to an old friend of hers. And out of a cabin steps, of course, Varric Tethras.

As someone familiar with Isabela and her story, Varric’s name isn’t unknown to us, and we can instantly express our opinions on his time with Hawke and later the Inquisitor.

Varric and Isabela pull us aside and confide that the famous dwarf is planning on potentially recruiting us for an exploit of his own, much more daring than anything we have ever done. We are rather intrigued by this, but details shall only be shared once the Dragon Island mission has been completed.

We can ask Varric and Isabela either about their adventures with Hawke or the Inquisition and get some nice background flavour, especially if Isabela romanced Hawke.

Arrival on Dragon Island

After spending several days on the Siren’s Call II, the ship finally approaches the murky, misty place simply dubbed “Dragon Island”. As we approach the coast, we can already make out ruins of a Qunari base, alongside some dreadnought wrecks. Looks like those were the last vestiges that couldn’t escape the dragon attack.

When we dock, we are immediately approached by our companion for the remainder of this mission: Taash!

Meeting Taash

Okay, so before we continue, I would like to go on a tangent and explain a small but significant change I am giving Taash in this rewrite: Taash is going to identify as non-binary from the beginning. I have a few reasons for this. Hear me out:

It might be a hot take, I don’t know, but to me, Taash’s journey of self-discovery, as it is currently portrayed in Veilguard, falls a little flat, specifically with the way it is written. Usually, Taash is portrayed as a seasoned traveller, treasure-hunter, and dragon slayer with a raw and blunt sense of humour (the Vows and Vengeance podcast, even though I don’t like much of it, portrayed that aspect of them stronger imo). Whenever we’re exploring ruins or hunting dragons, Taash feels like someone who belongs in the Dragon Age setting. However, when they have their talk with Shathann, which should be a climactic and emotional moment, it feels less like a conversation between two Dragon Age characters and more like a transcript of a modern-day argument copy-pasted into the mouths of Dragon Age characters. I’m not opposed to this confrontation happening at all, in fact, I think it’s important to have a scene like this, that includes Taash finding out for themselves what being non-binary means for them, but not in the way it's currently written in the vanilla game. I don’t know if anyone else had that notion, but to me, it felt like the writers just wanted to include the topic as quickly as possible, explain it with the simplest of modern terms, have a little set-up for conflict, and move on. I think Taash being non-binary deserves to have more care put into it than that.

Another hot take (oh boy we’re really getting into things here), but I don’t like how Veilguard uses the words “non-binary” and “trans” the way they are used in the 21st century. Why is that? Because characters in the other three games had a completely different way of speaking. We knew Dorian was gay, even though he never used the word. We knew Sera was lesbian, even though she never used the word. We knew Krem was trans, even though he never used the word. But in Veilguard, the dialogue becomes a bit anachronistic when compared to the previous entries. If this type of more modern dialogue had been around before Veilguard, I wouldn’t care. It also makes the way Taash being non-binary is written appear a little lazier. Why can’t we have the same care put into them as we had for the likes of Dorian or Sera? We know all we need to know about them, but the writers still found ways to integrate it into the more old-fashioned fantasy dialogue. Btw, anachronistic dialogue is something the entire game suffers from, not just Taash, so all of what I said applies to the rest as well.

Taash lives with the Lords of Fortune, an organisation that treats non-binary and trans people with large open-mindedness and acceptance (see Hollix). So I don’t think it makes sense that Taash wouldn’t be aware of what non-binary people are and that such a concept exists in the first place. They may have trouble accepting it for themselves, true, but to not know at all when you have those pirates walking around you day and night? Nah, not a chance.

I don’t necessarily like the idea that Taash being non-binary receives 90% of the focus, while them being multicultural is dealt with in a shockingly dismissive and easy manner. Why should we even have to choose one culture above the other? Can’t we have both? As a multicultural person myself, I’m not overly thrilled with the idea of having to choose one and abandon the other. I think we need to balance those struggles out a little more and find an organic way to give both equal measures of attention.

So, all in all, I love Taash as a concept, but I don’t think Veilguard managed to do justice to all their potential.

With all that being said, in this rewrite, Taash’s starting situation is that they already know they’re non-binary, at least they’re starting to accept the idea of it, but they refuse to tell their mother and ask the other Lords of Fortune to refer to them as a woman whenever they speak with Shathann. They are not ready for that final step yet, and that’s what we shall be handling later in the game, as well as the fact they’re both Rivaini and Qunari, and a badass dragon slayer and treasure hunter and adaari to boot.

So, we meet Taash and greet each other like two well-known acquaintances, since we’ve been on a few exploits together in the past.

While we were making our way here on the Siren’s Call II, Taash has been exploring the island and found that there’s not one but two high dragon nests, which is…very uncommon since those things are territorial. One is a Northern Hunter, the other a Vinsomer, both electricity-breathing dragons that are known to cause absolute storms on their own. Isabela quickly instructs her crew to prepare dragon-slaying ballistae, just in case.

Before we go, Varric asks to accompany us on our little treasure hunt, so we get our second companion for the prologue. Isabela stays with her ships and awaits our return.

Exploring the Coast

Before we delve deeper into the island, we can explore the coast a little and come across the following things:

A short dialogue between Isabela and Varric implies that, once this job is done, Isabela will say goodbye to her ship for a time. She’s very reluctant about it but the pay for that other job is just too good to pass up.

Amidst the ruined dreadnoughts, we find the charred bodies of Antaam warriors, who were unable to escape the dragons.

We also find some broken chains of people who may have used the chaos to escape their Qunari prison guards. Taash notes that they had the feeling of not being alone on the island, aside from the dragons.

We also get to fight a bunch of large crabs that make themselves at home amidst the ruins and the sand.

Unfortunately for us and our gold-seeking hearts, we find nothing of real value. Perhaps further inland, how about that?

Delving Deeper into Dragon Island

Together with Taash and Varric, we continue our little journey through Dragon Island, its centre being a dormant volcano. On our way there, we see the hastily assembled Qunari structures gradually fading away, replaced by a lush jungle and rocky terrain. We’re really getting into the adventurer aspect of things now.

Occasionally, we get to fight some more giant crabs and a few large lizards that haven’t been hunted by the dragons yet. On our journey, Taash tells us that the Northern Hunter resides on a set of jagged rocks on the other side of the mountain, while the Vinsomer lives right in the crater and is therefore likely the more dominant of the two. They haven’t explored their lairs yet because they very much could use back-up for that. Mostly as bait. They are more than capable of fighting a dragon on their own.

Varric remarks that a simple treasure-hunting mission is something he could have seen himself doing before all that Kirkwall business happened and he was just mercilessly thrown into this seemingly never-ending epic. Taash states that this could still end up being epic if they somehow attract the attention of both dragons.

The Gate

Eventually, we reach the foot of the mountain, which is the furthest Taash ventured into the island before waiting for assistance to arrive. At this moment we might be wondering if there’s even anything of interest here, to which Taash replies yes, there is.

They lead us further upwards and show us a large ancient-looking gateway right into the mountain, along with some stone steps. The gate looks dwarven. But here? So far up the surface? Is this an entrance to the Deep Roads?

The Still Mistress

Just as we are about to enter the mountain, we see something from the corner of our eye. On a nearby coast, not the one Isabela is docking at, a ship sets anchor. It has blood-red sails and a pitch-black hull. Taash and Laidir recognise it for what it is: This is the Still Mistress, the flagship of Ianto the Talon.

So, let’s talk about Ianto for a bit. He is actually a canon character but only appears in codex entries and off-screen mentions. He is known as “The Terror of Llomerryn” or “That Crooked Bastard What Might Kill You in Your Sleep”. There’s a guy called Martin in DA2, who survived having his throat slit by him. He’s a known slaver and murderer and has an evil reputation even among the Felicisima Armada.

If we tie the Lords of Fortune to the Raiders of the Waking Sea, I think it would make sense that the overall villain of this faction’s story has some connection to it all as well. And who better to pick than someone who’s already known in-universe but still vague enough that we can build him as we see fit?

BioWare made it no secret that a big inspiration for Dragon Age as a whole was the A Song of Ice and Fire series. And…yeah, you can definitely see that. So why not make Dragon Age’s own version of Euron Greyjoy? He’s pretty much exactly what I pictured when reading those entries about Ianto. And since Laidir was a child slave/prisoner, it provides a few added layers to give them a villain who’s known to be a slaver.

Yeah, I could have just made the Dragon King the main villain for the Lords of Fortune, but he’s far more appropriate as Taash’s nemesis, so we’ll leave him there.

We get a short cutscene of Ianto and his crew setting foot on Dragon Island. He’s a tall dude with black-grey hair and an equally menacing beard, has a bit of a Blackbeard-like aesthetic actually. He’s followed by his first mate, a Seer called Reyna. She is known amongst the Seers as someone who has strayed from the path a few years ago, and is now using her skill for ill purposes.

Neither Laidir nor Taash like this turn of events since both know what an absolute dickhead Ianto is. But what’s more worrying: What is he doing here? And why did he just conveniently show up pretty much as soon as we did? Now we’re even more eager to delve into that volcano. If Ianto is here, then there’s definitely something worth getting. Now comes the question…should we warn Isabela about this? I mean, she’d definitely want to know that such bold competition has arrived. Varric offers to backtrack, so now we have a small choice to make:

Warn Isabela: Varric returns to the Siren’s Call II to warn Isabela of Ianto’s arrival, but we lose him as a companion for the time being.

Don’t warn Isabela: Varric stays with us. Isabela won’t be alerted, but we’ll have slightly better numbers in the most immediate future.

Since we’re better safe than sorry, we tell Varric to go and warn Isabela since we all need to be on the same page. Besides, it’s good to have our ship alerted in case of unfortunate combat, as Ianto is known for sabotaging raider ships as well if it means that he gets more bounty for himself.

Varric hurries back to the beach, while Taash and Laidir enter the mountain.

Inside the Volcano

With Varric gone, Taash and Laidir set about exploring the insides of the great volcano. Pretty much immediately, we find that the way up has collapsed. Probably for the better since the Vinsomer lives upstairs and we can’t be asked to deal with both Ianto and two angry high dragons. Perhaps we could hope that the two parties attack each other. As a sort of confirmation of presence, we hear a loud roar from somewhere above.

Our only current way is down, further into the depths of the earth. And as we progress, we come across a few things:

Occasionally, the dwarven architecture mends with, or is outright replaced by elven style. Remarkable; we have never seen anything like this before. The deeper we go, the more the dwarven style fades, which is rather odd, shouldn't it be the other way around?

We encounter partially-melted murals covered in ash and dirt. One depicts a dragon emerging from a lake of fire, another elven kings and queens being worshipped by countless followers, and a single elf woman spreading her arms out to conjure blood from various dead bodies. If you know what we’re about to see, well done, if not, just have a bit more patience.

After a while, we hear scratching and growling ahead of us, and are immediately assaulted by a bunch of strange ghoul-like creatures, who come at us with monstrous claws and even wings in some cases.

We fight them off but are close to being overwhelmed. In that moment, Taash unleashes their fire breath and absolutely annihilates the creatures. We are properly gobsmacked by this because…what the fuck, since when can Taash do that? Since when can anyone do that?

Taash explains that it’s something they can do since birth and that the hows and whys are a story for another time. They just ask us to please not tell anyone. As the good companion that we are, we promise to do just that.

As we investigate the charred corpses, we slowly make the horrifying deduction that these were once the prisoners who got away from the Antaam and hid away on the island. Something…transformed them into monsters.

We descend a little further and come across a few more of those ghoul-like creatures. The further we get down, the more outright creepy the place becomes.

The Magma Chamber

Eventually, we enter the volcano’s magma chamber, where we defeat a few more of the transformed prisoners. Once the battle is done, we see something truly fascinating: the magma itself doesn’t seem to be free-flowing as you would see in a typical volcano. It seems to be concentrated in some kind of whirlpool-like well. Above the magma, on the cavernous ceiling, we see a great stalactite. But it's not just any stalactite. It’s a stalactite made of multi-coloured lyrium. Behind it, rising from the magma, stands a gigantic obsidian statue of the elven woman we saw in the mural earlier, her arms spread out.

Those who have read Tevinter Nights may have already guessed what we’re dealing with here. This is one of Ghilan’nain’s monster-making laboratories, of which there are still eleven spread out across Thedas. There were originally twelve, but one was destroyed by Warden Lesha.

But of course, neither Laidir nor Taash know what this is, so all we can do is have a genuine WTF reaction. Once that’s done, we investigate the chamber. We express utter awe and intimidation upon seeing the great crystal. But both of us come to the conclusion that this treasure is evil, if what it did to the escaped prisoners is any kind of hint. So we set about destroying it. This is no choice to be made, we all just want that thing gone.

Ianto

As we begin to come up with a plan on how to destroy the lab, Ianto, Reyna, and their crew arrive, clearly outnumbering us. Reyna points at the crystal and tells Ianto that yes, this is what they came for. Ianto muses that someone’s come ahead of him, and looks at us with a smile. He recognises us as Laidir and Taash, for we are both well-known amongst the Lords of Fortune. We would fetch some excellent prices in Minrathous.

At this point, we have another small choice, and it’s pretty straightforward:

Do we fight the crew of the Still Mistress?

Or do we come quietly?

Against all odds, despite not having Varric with us, Laidir and Taash decide to fight because we’re absolutely not going back into slavery. Ianto likes our spirit and sends his crew against us.

We have a brief fight with Ianto’s crew, and even if we manage to win against the goons, Ianto and Reyna just one-shot us into unconsciousness. As we fall to the ground, Reyna activates a hidden mechanism. Ghilan’nain’s statue clasps the crystal with her great obsidian hands and begins to lower it. All goes black.

Bound Aboard

We awaken on the beach, right next to the Still Mistress. Both Laidir and Taash are tied up in chains, and here we get a little rp opportunity. We, upon seeing our predicament, can have a panic attack because we’re about to be shipped off to Tevinter, right back where we came from all those years ago. Taash calms us down and promises that nobody’s going anywhere but home.

We watch as Ianto has his crew bring out the lyrium crystal on a huge cart, ready to be shipped off to spirits know where. It’s pulsating with ancient, corrupting magic. Reyna in particular seems greatly attuned to it, as she speaks of how absolutely restless and chaotic the Veil is around that thing. Even the boldest of spirits shun the crystal.

Taash snaps us out of focusing on the crystal and has an idea. They point towards the great dragon-slaying ballistae aboard the Still Mistress and points out that we could potentially lure one or both of the dragons here, giving us ample opportunity to escape. They point to the jagged rocks where we can briefly see the shape of the Northern Hunter spreading out her wings, as well as to the crater, where we know the Vinsomer abides.

Or we could wait for Isabela to arrive, since Varric probably told her of Ianto’s arrival by now. Because of our choice earlier, we now have the luxury to decide our imminent progression here:

Do we use the ballistae to attract the dragons?

Or do we wait for Isabela to hopefully arrive on time?

Since we are currently in a bit of a panic mode about our predicament, we will do all we can to escape slavery. Dragons it is. Taash seems very excited at the prospect.

It is evident that Ianto’s crew did a sloppy job of chaining us up as they were probably all prioritising the lyrium crystal.

We have a cutscene in which Ianto orders us brought aboard alongside the crystal. Once we board the Still Mistress, Taash uses their strength to break our chains and engages in a brawl with the pirates, while we quickly stumble to the closest ballista, preying it’s loaded, which it is.

We quickly aim for the jagged rocks and shoot this massive harpoon-like bolt across the island. From somewhere in the distance, we hear a deafening, enraged roar. Right, first dragon has been successfully angered. Now about the Vinsomer.

But before we can run to another ballista, we are paralysed with pain from the beating we took earlier and let out an anguished cry. Because we decided to fight the pirates earlier, we didn’t have enough stamina to attract the second dragon.

We are dragged to the ground by Ianto’s crew and are about to be assaulted with various blades when a great shadow momentarily covers the sky. We look up and see the enraged Northern Hunter launching towards us, surrounded by lightning.

The pirates curse and immediately forget about us. Ianto orders the beast slain and the crystal protected at all costs. The dragon unleashes a torrent of lightning across the beach, killing a bunch of pirates in an instant.

Taash roughly picks us up and jumps from the ship, helping us stand once we’re on the sand, marvelling at the power of the great beast.

Just in that moment, the Siren’s Call II appears in the small bay, and Ianto grins. Somehow, the increasing chaos makes him all the more bloodthirsty.

The ship docks and both Isabela and Varric lead a bunch of raiders across the beach, while the dragon engages in battle with Reyna, who uses spirit and blood magic to keep her at bay.

Battle on the Beach

Isabela and Varric join us as we’re attacked by more raiders. We tell them of the crystal and how it must not leave this island. They both immediately understand for they have seen first-hand what corrupted lyrium can do to its surroundings.

We make our way to the crystal, fighting off Ianto’s pirates while occasionally dodging the dragon’s lightning bursts.

In one such moment, the dragon fires right into our midst, separating us in the chaos. Since we have the unfortunate privilege of being the protagonist of this game, we find ourselves blasted closest to the crystal, so it now falls to us to destroy it.

But before we can do so, Ianto himself intercepts us. Despite the carnage unfolding, he seems to be relishing in the chance to have a good fight. And with that, our boss battle with the Terror of Llomerryn begins.

We are in a rough shape but still manage to somehow stand our ground against the formidable pirate captain, who unleashes his sword, daggers, and grenades on us.

This boss has a certain gimmick to it. Instead of exchanging blows with Ianto, we can focus our attacks on the crystal, with the added difficulty that it will momentarily paralyse us whenever we deliver a certain amount of damage.

Regardless, we manage to deliver a fatal blow to the crystal, and the lyrium explodes in a massive blast. Now, Ianto is truly enraged and stops playing around. As we lie on the ground, dying, he prepares to deliver a clean and brutal stab to the heart. But from the side, Varric delivers a well-aimed shot with Bianca, striking Ianto right into the shoulder, causing him to collapse.

This gives Taash enough time to drag us off towards the Siren’s Call II. Once the crystal is gone, Isabela orders a swift retreat, and the pirates are only too happy to oblige.

Reyna loses her fight with the Northern Hunter and gets knocked back. The beast immediately proceeds to rampage further and even pursues us.

Taash, seeing their moment come, hands us over to Isabela and runs towards the dragon. Using the creature’s weak state to their advantage, Taash dodges her claws and climbs upon her back. The dragon flies up, but Taash delivers a fatal blow to her neck, knowing exactly where the weak spots are. As the dragon collapses, Taash directs it right onto the Still Mistress and has it crash directly into the hull, damaging the slaver ship.

While Ianto, Reyna, and the raiders recover, Taash quickly bolts towards the Siren’s Call II before it swiftly starts to sail away, roaring in excited triumph.

Ianto looks at the damage done to his ship and back to the Siren’s Call II, which is already way out of range, swiftly sailing away from the island. He curses but there’s nothing he can do for now.

Back on deck, we are immediately placed in Isabela’s cabin to have our wounds tended to. But before we can express any word of gratitude, we slip back into unconsciousness.

Awakening

We awaken back at the Golden Deck in Llomerryn, our mother bent over us while casting healing spells, channelling the spirits of the island.

Relieved to see us alive, she tells us that the Siren’s Call II returned a few days ago. We’ve been out for quite a while. While we didn’t find much gold, we certainly found glory. The tale of our escape, the crystal, the dragon; it’s in everyone’s mouths right now. She’s proud of us for not allowing the lyrium to leave the island. When we ask her whether she knows what that place could have been, she unfortunately responds with no. But the spirits have been slightly calmer since that day.

Also, Varric would like to speak with us whenever we’re ready.

No Gold, All the Glory

When we enter the public area of the Golden Deck, the Lords of Fortune absolutely lose it with cheers. They ask us to tell our version of the story. We can refuse or indulge them. Well, we’re feeling better now, so we might as well. Once we’re done, the cheers grow louder and Taash gives us a massive clap on the shoulders. This was one of the most thrilling jobs they’ve ever done. Isabela is, quite frankly, surprised that her ship survived without a scratch, but all the more happy about it. The same can’t be said for Ianto, who, according to the latest reports, retreated to Estwatch once his ship was in any shape to be steered again.

Varric steps up and asks us to speak to him in a less public area, about that other job he mentioned earlier.

We sit down in a quiet corner of the Golden Deck. Varric tells us how he has something big coming up, probably the biggest job any Lord of Fortune has ever done in the organisation’s history. Intrigued, we ask what it’s about. Varric can’t tell us yet, but he promises there will definitely be both gold and glory to have in it. He also mentions that we may get answers to what that lyrium crystal was all about. Such ancient dangers have been waking up all over Thedas, and he seeks to find the source and stop it. That’s all he can say for now. And he believes we are an ideal candidate to take on that journey.

Well, bolstered by our successful escape and the crystal’s destruction, we readily agree, for which Varric thanks us.

He also suggests we come up with another name for the time being, since we will have reason not to be public with our affiliation to the Lords of Fortune. We lean back and begin to wrack our head. After a while, Varric suggests Rook, like the chess piece, since we went straight for the goal and succeeded by dealing a massive victorious blow.

Leaving Llomerryn

Before we leave Llomerryn, we have the chance to converse with the Lords of Fortune for one last time:

Bharv is happy that someone finally taught Ianto a lesson he won’t soon forget, but worries that he’ll strike back with a vengeance.

Hollix laughs that we may have finally given the Golden Deck a more exciting story than their monster hunt in Minrathous.

Taash and Shathann have a discussion about their fire powers when we join in. Remembering the circumstances surrounding the two, we refer to Taash as a woman while speaking to Shathann. They’re not yet ready for that conversation. We can tell Taash is slightly uncomfortable in their mother’s presence and ask if they can accompany us, but Shathann is against this. She already heard that Taash will be wanted for further dragon pursuits, and might even be considered for a job to go up against Ianto whenever he rears his head again. Taash is mildly relieved by this and wishes us as much gold as the glory we found here.

Seer Laidir bids us a heartfelt farewell but remains confident that we shall see each other again sooner than later. The spirits shall watch over us.

When we meet Varric, he’s in a conversation with Isabela. Here we get the confirmation that Isabela is about to give the Siren’s Call II over to her first mate, for the time being, as she has accepted a job closely tied for what we’re about to do. We shall board the Siren's Call II and sail to an assigned spot together.

Now known as Rook, we once again board the great ship, leaving Llomerryn behind, to uncertain but definitely more dangerous adventures ahead.

And there we have it. This is what a potential Lords of Fortune origin story could have looked like, at least according to my humble opinion.

So…what now? There are no origin stories left to tell. Which means that we shall now be moving to the actual main plot of the game.

Next time, we’ll have the quest that takes place immediately after Varric whisks us away. Stay tuned!

Rewriting Veilguard Part 8 - The Inquisition