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Emmrich Volkarin - Blog Posts
Never played Dragon Age before, but when I see a necromancer? 👀
I know it’s been talked about before but can you imagine being Lucanis(or any love interest) hearing Rook cry out your name as they vanish into the Fade Prison?
You see Rook dragged into the Fade, disappearing into thin air, with a look of terror on their face.
For Lucanis, you see the first person to show you kindness in at least a year, the person who loves you unconditionally, disappear as they scream your name. Imagine Spite’s reaction, him a whirlwind of emotion, so angry and confused. Where’s Rook? Are they alive? How will we get them home? And burning anger at Solas for doing this. All while clinging to the things Rook left behind because even though the smell is fading over the weeks, it still smells like them.
For Davrin, you’re a protector, it’s your job, the one thing you’re good at. And you fail. Imagine Assan cawing softly, sniffing and scratching in Rook’s room and across the lighthouse, searching for Rook. You start a carving depicting them both to honor them in case they never return and to ensure you never forget their face.
For Emmrich, you’re an expert on the Fade, but you’ve never even heard of something like this. Imagine Manfred, confused and searching for Rook, asking you constantly “where Rook?” You know that if they can’t be found, you won’t have a body to bury/entomb. You won’t have a place to go and visit them. You constantly reach out to the spirits, but none of them can find Rook either.
For Neve, you’re a detective, you should have seen the signs that Solas was going to betray you. But you didn’t. Even the wisps that follow you seem upset, constantly nudging you and moving things that belonged to Rook, trying to ask you what happened to them.
For Harding, you feel powerless despite your new abilities because you couldn’t protect Rook. You pour over every detail, contacting old friends from the Inquisition, but you turn up nothing. Solas has time and time again hurt those you love, has taken those you love from you. You won’t let him get away with it.
For Bellara, you once again lost someone you loved, and once again you feel it’s your fault. You throw yourself into your work on ancient artifacts, you demand answers from the Nadas Dirthalan, but find nothing.
For Taash, you finally find someone who truly sees you for who you are. But in an instant, they’re gone. All your strength, your skill, your fire, you couldn’t stop Solas from dragging Rook away from you. Your fist slams into the punching bag again and again, as you imagine punching Solas, but it doesn’t help. It doesn’t ease the pain.
Too busy being yours
It's even funnier when most of them are the same people who go screaming around that Solas and Mythal were startcrossed endgame soulmates because she called him love once lol.
I'm not mad with this new game, honestly. I may not like how rushed it seems sometimes, but the romances I've done so far left me very satisfied (Emmrich and Lucanis ofc).
People who are claiming the Lucanis romance is lacklustre because you don’t make out immediately are weak. Every piece of dialogue from this man has been so sweet and romantic and genuine and thoughtful especially since confirming the relationship. and people are saying it’s “like you’re just friends” because there’s no sex scene after you enter the relationship… not sure what they’re doing wrong but Lucanis’ gentleness and protectiveness toward Rook reads 100% romantic to me. the man was just tortured for a year he’s a slow burn let him COOK
Valentine’s DA-y 7: Emmrich Volkarin
I’ve got a fever, and the only cure for that fever is Emmrich in fancy shoes and body chains. 🌹💀🌹
(Some silly headcanons about Mortalitasi and Nevarran traditions that ended up leading me to Emmrich. How typical.)
We don't actually know all that much about Nevarra and their customs. World of Thedas and some of the in-game codex tells us some key points: strong royal families, a rich history of dragon hunting, an elite group of mages rumored to be heavily involved in makings of the country, and, of course, the thing that this country is most famous for - the fascination with the dead.
Our very own Nevarran companion mentions a couple of things about her home country:
And even though she doesn't seem fond of Mortalitasi practices or Nevarran customs surrounding the dead, she admits that some stories that pervade the South are greatly exaggerated:
(I feel so called out)
This makes me think that this interest in the dead is still a personal choice. I doubt that an average Nevarran is obsessed with those rituals any more than an average person from Ferelden is with theirs - those are just a part of their traditions that obviously affect their lives in unique ways, but that is all.
Now, Nevarran nobility are a different matter. They are said to start the construction of their tombs very early in life - lavishly decorated palaces with gardens, ballrooms and bathhouses. A sign of power and wealth for them, and that I can believe.
But when it comes to Mortalitasi, do they, in general, care as much? Do they take all these things, all these rituals, to extreme somehow, professional pride and all?
How much would a Mortalitasi care about their own tomb? Would Mortalitasi friends and colleagues ever promise to lead the other's ceremony depending on who dies first? "Oh, I'll totally mummify you if you're the one to go first, don't you worry, I know you think that Markus is getting sloppy".
The coffin sharing is also not unheard of (the spouses from The Flame Eternal), and I wonder if it's ever used as a grand gesture - to ask someone to be placed in the same tomb?
(And just imagine how messy this could get, the way people are. Building a tomb together only to have a falling out, what are you even supposed to do after that?)
Would it be romantic then, to tell your significant other that you don't want to ever part from them, even in death?
Beacause imagine Emmrich writing a quick letter to his friend from the Mourn Watch (Johanna, if they are still friends after all these years, or Myrna), "doing fine, on a saving the world business trip, will be back when I can; could I trouble you with a favor - a bigger coffin, installed in my tomb, not urgent, just whenever you have the time."
When the reply comes and his friend is (obviously) asking for a reason for such a sudden change, he just looks at Rook from the corner of his eye and replies with "no particular reason, just felt like it."
By the power vested in me, I declare myself REAL 😂👊. #PresidentialProof" My fellow citizens😁💙💛, I'm here to address the rumors. I'm real, and I'm here to stay 🇺🇦💪."
Sooooo I've finally played and finished Dragon Age: Veilguard (I cried so much it's actually not funny). Anyway I've seen a lot of hate towards the game, except for the obvious (Fuck you BioWare), and I wanted to put my two piece in that nobody asked for because I absolutely love Dragon Age and I have put so much time and effort into the games over the years.
I have a lot of pro and cons for the game but some seem nitpicky and just my personal opinion but I am only going to talk about a few things that I feel are important (For my anyway.)
So first things first, the thing that I loved about the game is the fighting style. It did take me a good minute to get use to it because I was so used to playing Inquisition, the thing I liked about the fighting style is:
1: I like that you can switch between 2 weapons which you can't do in the other Dragon Age games (unless you chose rouge) and I like that you can switch between them instantly
2: The fighting style itself. It made me actually feel like I was doing something instead of just holding down one button (Like Inquisition)
Now onto the next thing I love. Making your character. See I'm covered in lots of tattoos and piercings and apart from Cyberpunk I haven't found a game that lets you have facial and body tattoos so when I saw I could cover my Rook in tattoos it made me happy because I could make her look like me. Another thing that I found super important was the pronouns and the option to add top surgery scars. It doesn't apply to me, I'm a woman BUT quiet a few of my friends are Nonbinary or Trans, they like to game but as you know, most games don't have that option so the fact they finally feel. I want to say included (I'm not sure that's the right way to put it) to be able to make their Rook look like them
CLIMBING. ACTUAL FUCKING CLIMBING. In Inquisition there's a quest where you go and find shards and goddamn the amount of times I've tried to climb and fail to get these fucking shards pissed me off (lovingly) so to see you can actually climb makes me happy (Seems stupid I know)
Decisions. You're decisions actually matter!!!! SLIGHT SPOILER!!!!! So on my first playthrough I chose to be a Warden and you go to D'meta's Crossing do what you do and find the Mayor. I chose to save him and send him off to help the Wardens, that was that, didn't think about it much. Fast forward to Lavendel and you have to go and find some missing Wardens, because I chose to save the Mayor he was there to save said missing Wardens
Lastly the thing that just that made me happy was the companion quests. I don't know about anyone else but I did wish they were slightly longer but I love that every companion (In my opinion) got a well thought, decent companion quest. I found that it helped me get to know my companions a bit better
But. And hear me out.
WHY IS THERE NO SMOOTCHIE UPDATE!?!?!?!?!? I want to be able to go to my lover (Emmrich my love) and give them kisses but also I wish that there were more romance scenes.
Anyway that is quick rundown of what I thought about the game.
I'm finally playing Dragon Age: Veilguard (Going to write my opinion on it that nobody asked for once I've finished it). I started the game ready to romance Lucanis but tell me why as soon as I saw the necromancer my brain went-
JUMP THE OLD MAN. JUMP HIS BONES
Anyway.... Emmrich is my darling, my love, my dearest husband
After Veilguard, Manfred continues to learn and grow just as he did before, as a being in the living world and also as a mage.
And he starts to gain more independence, and to learn from teachers apart from Emmrich.
And, eventually, he becomes a full member of the Mourn Watch, and then a senior member.
And he takes on his own proteges, spirit and living, and teaches them everything he’s learned.
And, one day, Emmrich dies.
And Manfred, as his son, tends to his body and his grave with the same reverence for the honored dead that Emmrich taught him.
And as long as Manfred remains in the world, he carries on Emmrich’s legacy in his own actions and those of his endless chain of students, each one given the love and care and support that were the foundational gifts his father gave him.
This, too, is immortality.
Yeah it's me again. Yeah it's more emmrook. Yeah it will happen again.
“Rook? Like the chess piece?”
“One of the strongest pieces on the board…but she tends to think in straight lines.”
My first Rook Chautrea Ladir!!
Everytime an artist includes the mole on Emmrich's nose, I ascend to a higher state of being.
and, of course:
Emmrich Volkarin + the sluttiest thing a man can do
I have a fic idea noodling around in my head: Rook and Emmrich come back from the "Arrangements" quest having sucked face. They sneak from the Eluvian to Rook's sleeping quarters (where not much sleeping happens): afterward, they take a quiet jaunt to the balcony in Emmrich's quarters. They awake in the morning to find no one in the Lighthouse. Why? The rest of the Veilguard is outside in the courtyard trying to figure out how and why the giant kissing skeletons replaced the Fen'Harel statue.
Thinking about how Ingellvar!Rook being in a relationship with Emmrich looks to the rest of the Mourn Watch.
One of the most high ranking and respected Mourn Watchers goes on sabbatical to apparently help save the world?? And he comes back with motherfucking Ingellvar??? Y'know, that crypt orphan Watcher who took one for the team so hard that they had to be sent out of the fucking country to keep the nobles from getting nasty???? And apparently they're back at it again with the taking one for the team schtick, because they're the one spearheading the saving the world thing????? And people call them Rook now??????
But amidst all that, the real kicker is that Volkarin and Ingellvar are obviously fucking. And possibly 10 seconds away from getting married. The amount of Not Giving A Shit What The Nobility Think coming off of Volkarin for this is staggering. The brass balls on that man. And what a comeback for Ingellvar. Left in big trouble, returned on the arm of The Hot Professor. No one is doing it like them.
I like to think that Myrna is proud of them both in different ways, Emmrich for letting himself make such a connection and Rook for choosing an excellent partner. Vorgoth is offering their wishes of ABUNDANT EXULTATION or some shit.
Meanwhile, the rest of the order is either losing their shit in various ways or just straight up confused. Either way, these two have got to be the talk of the Necropolis.
It's 100% his sarcophagus, Emmrich would never do it anywhere else. He has had his own prepared and ready to go for a few years now, just in case, but now he's going to have to purchase an expansion and room for adjoining flower beds.
Imagine being one of Emmrich’s students.
You go back to Treviso to make sure your family is ok and you see your esteemed, mid-50s professor ziplining across the city rooftops like a complete maniac.
He’s jingling like a walking bazaar while he’s ziplining because apparently half of Thedas’s gold is hanging off him, and he’s casually hanging out with one of the deadliest Antivan Crows and some decades-younger absolute snack who is constantly batting their eyelashes at him.
How do you even attend his lecture after that
Me when a romanced Emmrich only says "Spectacular, Rook!" during combat instead of "Well done, dearest!"
My Rook is smooching Emmrich and making it everyone else's problem 💀 💋
As someone who did some conducting with her HS marching band (half a lifetime ago), that was the first thing I noticed about his magic! It's beautiful and lyrical and so dreamy.
emmrich’s hand motions while casting magic — musical. keeping time. directing the orchestra of the fade and the spirits that call for him
This is the post that alerted me to the fact that breaking the urns can drop materials.
Emmrich watching me destroy burial urns in the Necropolis because I need more junk to sell
I'm gonna be real, guys / gals / nb pals. I have played ZERO Dragon Age games and know next to nothing about the lore. I want to play a fun game but I will also be using this as a dating simulator because I can't get enough of that 👏 old 👏 man 👏
The last one 😭
the veilguard ( ˘ ³˘)♥