On a general note, I decided to combine the design/aesthetic sections and do two pics for each, since I didn't have enough to fill it up for just one or the other. And as part of that, I gave them each an animal that I feel represents them :)

Varien

The nickname is a fairly new development and I'm obsessed with it ngl. I can just totally hear the words "silly goose" in Harding's voice, so I decided that she just shortens it and starts calling him Goose :)

Speaking of Harding, I'm like 90% committed to the Varien/Lace/Bellara agenda so I said what the hell and put the heart as Bellara's status too. (Double heart for Lace, single heart for Bel since that develops more post-game.)

He's besties with pretty much everyone on the team, but he isn't as close with Lucanis. Partly bc of the Treviso thing, partly because their personalities just don't really mesh... and partly because of Spite. Varien was raised in the south—his time with the Dalish taught him that spirits weren't to be trusted, and his time afterwards in the alienage taught him that magic was shunned and abominations were to be feared above all. He and Lucanis kind of work it out, but they're never very close.

Kind of in the same vein, Varien is terrified of the Circle and all that goes with it. He spent years hiding his magic because he was afraid he'd be found out and dragged off to one by the Templars, and he's almost certain he would have been made tranquil once he got there.

(Ngl it is kind of a miracle he doesn't ever get possessed by a rage demon.)

There isn't a relationship symbol to properly convey that Varien is the #1 Pain In Strife's Ass so I just put 👍 lol

And he's the only one of the trio here to be 'guarded' with Solas rather than straight-up antagonistic. He does redeem Solas in the end.

Varien is a TERRIBLE fighter who can't be stealthy to save his life.

I was able to pack 4 details into the first pic there! The scar on his neck from the attack on Clan Lavellan; his Veil Jumper logo chest tattoo; his vitiligo; and some of the lightning-strike scarring he has all over his body. (His magic will overpower him at times, and leaves its mark on his skin.)

He gets the Dread Wolf tat because he loves to be a trickster. Regrets that later.

Me over here googling "Dalish recipes" to figure out a favorite food 😭 I know he likes fresh fruits and berries, so I found 'forest fruit cobbler' and figured that maybe that was something he grew up with and called that his fave. He def has a sweet tooth, but has to be careful bc of his diabetes.

Yes I know what Davrin says about vanerberries, but Varien likes the trip. (It is NOT the same as the gingerwort tea trip.)

And last but not least, Varien's animal is an otter! Playfulness, adaptability, joy, and curiosity.

Rowan

After over a year of me saying 'idk somewhere in southern Tevinter' I have finally decided on a canonical birthplace for Rowan: Perivantium. Thinking that maybe his birth mother was being transported with some of the other household slaves, and she uses the opportunity to make a break for it. They'd be far enough south that she could realistically make it over the border into Tantervale, where she stumbles across one of the elves from Clan Lavellan.

Inky!Rowan never learns this detail, but Shadow!Rowan does, eventually. It fucks him up more than you could imagine :)

I know I probably didn't NEED to point out the eye scar, but. Defining feature, y'know. Also highlighted his back scars, but there are many, many more. (Been a while since I made that scar map, might be considering adding some blood magic scars...)

I can definitely see him being an expert pickpocket. How else is a former slave supposed to survive in Minrathous? (His reasoning, not mine) (Dw he only steals from evil Magisters, or anyone who looks at him the wrong way, or anyone who he sees giving other elves/impoverished citizens a hard time.)

Cunning and stealth meters off the chartssss cause he is a little SHIT

Hearth cakes are always Ro's favorite food regardless of 'verse cause his dad made them for him. He's a pretty basic guy when it comes to drinks (no alcohol, he can't tolerate it). Lavender tea is his go-to because it calms his anxiety.

He isn't guarded with Ashur because he dislikes Ashur—quite the opposite. Some of it is the fact that Rowan is always twitchy around any Altus mage, but ultimately it's that he feels that he owes Ashur his life. That Ashur is the person to whom Rowan is repaying his debt. There isn't much of an interpersonal relationship there, because Rowan wouldn't really know how to reckon with all of that if he were to connect with Ashur on a more human level. Then Minrathous falls, and Ashur gets blighted, and... well, lay on the guilt.

You would never think that Rowan and Tarquin are friendly if you saw them interact, but trust that the bitchiness and hurling insults is their way of showing "affection."

Other people can smile, just don't ask him to do it.

My lying liar who lies and hates it when other people lie <3

Rowan's animal is a lynx. He's cat-coded all around, but the lynx takes that extra step in symbolizing mystery, hidden truths, and sharp observation.

Arden

Sooo glad to have them back in the OC rotation Ardie my beloved <3

Doing this made me figure out a birth date and birth place for them, yay. Detailed a bit more about their upbringing in Vol Dorma here, and I decided on 21 Drakonis (March) because they def give off some Aries energy.

Years spent working for a crime syndicate and dealing in the black market made them an expert smuggler and sharpened their perception skills, but Arden was most often used as the brawn.

That said, they're blind in one eye and slinging around a giant axe. There is NO sense of stealth up in here.

Brandy is their drink of choice. The truth is they really should not have a drink of choice. They're working on it.

'Training grounds' can be anywhere. Weisshaupt, any given Warden outpost, maybe even the Lighthouse if the Caretaker conjures up an area for them. The best way to keep the mind calm is to keep the body busy.

Arden can sniff out phoniness like a bloodhound and will not tolerate it. Be straight with them or don't be anything at all.

Like Varien, Arden is also uneasy around Lucanis, and they keep Emmrich at arm's length. Necromancy is not their vibe. (They encourage him to pursue lichdom though cause you do you, bro)

I kinda struggled with finding an aesthetic pic for them (mostly because I'm not very good at making moodboards anyway lol) but settled on the mountains. It goes along with the whole vibe of the Anderfels, and also the idea of uphill battles, sharp edges... you get my drift?

Rope tat on the neck is from before they joined the Wardens, the wings on their arms are from after.

Arden gets a wolf as their animal. Fierce, loyal, instinctual, determined. They embrace the community and the idea of a 'pack mentality' with their comrades in the Wardens (+ the Veilguard) but they can still be a lone wolf at times, if you will.

Gonna pop the tag list here, bc this one really was so much fun and I wanna spread the love (and see all of your Rooks!! If you fill this out, pls tag me!)

If you don't have Photoshop, Photopea is a great free alternative.

@the-archons-moustache @in-the-drowning-deep @rooks-dagger @tevivinters @serjory @serbarris @babydinosaur930 @flowersforthemachines @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @chaosherald @davrinsleftpectoral @sandcastlekings @handsignals @lemondelighted @mythals-whore @juniper-and-dragonthorn @augustnugs @dudewheresmynug @kogarashi-art @fadetouchedlurker @rookwithawand @rookamell