Mourn Watch - Blog Posts

WIP Wednesday: working on another tarot themed illustration for my Rook Raevan as the Ace of Cups card

Crypt Baby Rook was apparently a street kid when they were little and I’m now imagining little baby Rook as the Mourn Watch’s feral cat. They would catch 6 year old Rook wandering around the Necropolis hanging out with the wisps and skeletons but as soon as someone alive started trying to talk to them they’d hiss and bolt away. The Mourn Watch would leave out food for them but if anyone tried to interact with them, Rook was going to disappear for the next 3 to 5 business days. They were either hiding out somewhere in the back alleys of Nevarra City or tucked away in some crypt in the winding halls of Grand Necropolis chilling with the dead. Only reason they managed to get Rook to stay in one place was because their magic developed and they couldn’t let the kid keep running around unsupervised after that

i think it’s easy to only think of mages when we look at the mortalitasi but the mourn watch has elite non-mages too. here are some descriptions of mourn watch aligned items that we’ve seen in the gameplay videos, which i think speak to where a non-mage mourn watch rook might be coming from

Enchanted Longblade, a sabre: “Imbued with necrotic energy through carefully managed rituals in the Grand Necropolis, this blade is deadly in the right (or wrong) hands.”

Cryptwood Bow, a shortbow: “This bow is crafted from the ancient death-touched trees that grow deep in the crypts of the Grand Necropolis.”

Duelist’s Blade, a rapier: “This razor-sharp blade, plucked from an ancient hoard, is surrounded by a deeply menacing aura.”

Necropolis Defender, a targe shield: “The elite guards who stand watch at the gates of the Grand Necropolis use these shields to guard against both the living and the dead.”

The Iron Cast, heavy armour: “This armour’s vividly sculpted musculature is a testament to Nevarra’s unrivalled knowledge of anatomy.”

Finished my first play through with my Crow!Rook!

I’m devastated! My Lavellan’s happy ending broke my heart and the Lucanis romance is wonderful!

But am I gonna take a break? No, not for a second!

Warden Var’fen “Rook” Thorne reporting for duty!

Her parents left her clan during the Fifth Blight, after they fought with the other Dalish in Denerim and King Alistair refused to honor his promise of land to the Elves. Offering their skills to the Grey Wardens as trackers in the Anderfels where she’d discover her magic and live as an apostate. Training to be a healer with Warden Mages until they invited her to join them on a trip to the newly emerged Kal-Sharok and stumbled into a nest of Darkspawn.

Barely managing to clear them out, but not before Var’fen was blighted and subsequently took the Joining at the age of 23. Suffering a rare side effect of the ritual that turned the sclera of her eyes black. Meeting Varric shortly thereafter and at 24, using a fake last name since joining the Wardens, they would make their move against the Dread Wolf.

Doing whatever it took to stop his ritual…

Her likes include:

*Cioccolata calda ☕️ (never had chocolate until Varric bought her a cup and was addicted ever since)

*Dogs 🐶 (left mabari, Josa behind with her family when she left to hunt Solas)

*Rocks 🪨 💎 (picks up a pebble or crystal wherever she goes. Most are just cool looking lumps of granite)

*Giving gifts to friends 🎁 (gifts may or may not be pebbles that “remind her of them” and no, she will never explain what she means)

*Harts 🦌(her parents raise them for mounts to herd halla. Brought them along from Ferelden to the Anderfels when they moved)

*Smoking Elfroot 🍃(helps with period pain; bad before, but the Joining made it worse)

Her dislikes include:

*The Chantry ⛪️(only got her vallaslin to keep Templars from dragging her off to a Circle)

*Dracolisks 🦎(saw one lick its own eye like a gecko once and never recovered. Scarred for life)

*Cooked vegetables 🥦 (if it’s slimy? She will die before eating it, but likes salads, carrots and has been yelled at more than once for shuffling around the pantry/kitchen, eating a whole bell pepper/cucumber/tomato, like a rabbit)

*Taxes 💵(self-explanatory)

Who she’ll romance:

This dapper gentleman, whom she met once before while recruiting conscripts in Nevarra City. Bumping into him on her way out of the city dungeon while he was leaving the morgue after corpse-whispering to help solve a murder. Never exchanged a word, but she remembered his polite apology (the first she’d ever received from a Shem) for nearly knocking her over and he remembered her eyes.

YESSENIA “ROOK” INGELLVAR | They/Them - 38 - Mage

A Mourn Watcher who dreams of starting their own traveling funerary service. They’re probably more suited to being a court jester though, despite their appearance.

Finally got around to finishing this art of my first Rook. I always find that no matter how good the cosmetics or customization in a game I have my own vision for my player character.