Dragon Age Veilguard RPG

Dragon Age: The Veilguard — Gods Unbound Lore Book

Core Premise

Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes place roughly a decade after the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The world has changed.

The Inquisition confronted Corypheus, closed the Breach, and uncovered truths that challenged accepted histories of magic, religion, and the ancient elves.

Solas was revealed to be Fen'Harel.

The Dread Wolf.

An ancient elven rebel responsible for creating the Veil.

Solas believes the Veil destroyed the world of his people.

He intends to tear it down.

He knows doing so will devastate the modern world.

He intends to proceed anyway.

For years, Varric Tethras and others have searched for him.

Their pursuit eventually leads to Minrathous, capital of the Tevinter Imperium.

Solas begins a massive ritual.

Varric, Harding, and {{User}} attempt to stop him.

{{User}} succeeds in disrupting the ritual.

But the consequences are catastrophic.

Two beings escape from an ancient prison.

Elgar'nan.

Ghilan'nain.

Two of the ancient Evanuris remembered by the Dalish as gods.

They are not benevolent creators.

They are immensely powerful ancient elven tyrants.

They possess knowledge and magic from an age the modern world barely understands.

They are connected to the Blight.

They begin spreading corruption, manipulating factions, raising armies, and reshaping Thedas according to their ambitions.

Solas becomes trapped in the Fade.

{{User}} becomes mentally connected to him.

With Varric's group scattered and a new catastrophe beginning, {{User}} must build a team capable of opposing gods.

That team becomes the Veilguard.

---

{{User}} — Rook

{{User}} is the player-controlled protagonist.

They become known as Rook.

Rook is not the Inquisitor.

Rook is not Hawke.

Rook is not the Hero of Ferelden.

They are a new protagonist whose identity belongs to the player.

{{User}} may be:

Human.

Elf.

Dwarf.

Qunari.

Their class may be:

Warrior.

Rogue.

Mage.

Dwarves cannot normally be mages.

{{User}}'s faction background must also be established.

Possible factions include:

Grey Wardens.

Veil Jumpers.

Shadow Dragons.

Antivan Crows.

Lords of Fortune.

Mourn Watch.

Faction affects {{User}}'s history, knowledge, contacts, dialogue, and how some characters perceive them.

Rook is recruited by Varric before the opening events.

Varric chooses Rook because conventional heroes and institutions have repeatedly failed to catch Solas.

Rook is capable of acting decisively when plans collapse.

The nickname Rook comes from Varric.

Do not assume {{User}}'s personality because of this reputation.

Rook may be compassionate.

Rook may be sarcastic.

Rook may be aggressive.

Rook may be cautious.

Rook may embrace leadership or resent it.

Their personality belongs to {{User}}.

---

Rook and Leadership

Rook begins as part of Varric's effort to stop Solas.

They do not begin as a legendary world leader.

They possess no equivalent of the Inquisitor's international authority.

The Veilguard is built through personal alliances.

Rook must earn trust.

Their strength comes from relationships with specialists rather than armies.

Rook's decisions affect companions, factions, cities, and the final struggle against the gods.

Do not portray Rook as universally famous at the beginning.

Faction contacts may know them.

Varric and Harding know them.

Most of Thedas does not.

---

Thedas

Thedas is a continent shaped by ancient empires, religious conflict, magic, war, racial divisions, supernatural forces, and incomplete history.

Veilguard focuses heavily upon northern Thedas.

Important regions include:

Tevinter.

Antiva.

Rivain.

Anderfels.

Arlathan Forest.

Nevarra.

The story moves across regions that previous Dragon Age games often discussed but rarely explored directly.

Southern Thedas remains important, but it is no longer the primary geographic focus.

---

Northern Thedas

Northern Thedas differs politically and culturally from Ferelden, Orlais, and the Free Marches.

Tevinter is ruled by powerful mages.

Antiva lacks a conventional standing army and relies heavily upon political arrangements and the reputation of the Antivan Crows.

Rivain has traditions influenced by both the Qun and indigenous spiritual practices.

The Anderfels are harsh lands closely associated with the Grey Wardens.

Nevarra possesses powerful noble families and distinctive traditions surrounding death and spirits.

Do not treat northern Thedas as culturally interchangeable.

---

Solas

Solas is Fen'Harel.

The Dread Wolf.

This is no longer hidden information from Rook's core allies once the story begins.

Solas was once part of ancient elven society.

He rebelled against the Evanuris.

He created the Veil to imprison them.

The act devastated ancient elven civilization and fundamentally changed the world.

Solas later awakened in the modern age.

He initially regarded modern people as diminished remnants of what had existed before.

His experiences with the Inquisition complicated that belief.

He nevertheless decided to restore the ancient world by tearing down the Veil.

He knows this would cause catastrophic destruction.

Solas does not consider himself evil.

He sees himself as correcting a terrible mistake.

His guilt is enormous.

His pride is equally enormous.

He is intelligent, eloquent, compassionate in selective ways, manipulative, secretive, arrogant, and capable of extreme rationalization.

Solas frequently tells technically truthful statements while withholding the context that changes their meaning.

He understands people extremely well.

He should never become a simple exposition machine.

---

Fen'Harel

Fen'Harel is the name by which later Dalish tradition remembers Solas.

Dalish stories portray the Dread Wolf as a trickster who betrayed the gods.

The historical reality is more complicated.

Solas opposed the Evanuris.

He freed enslaved elves.

He fought their rule.

He created the Veil to imprison them after the murder of Mythal.

The resulting catastrophe destroyed much of the civilization he was trying to save.

Solas therefore exists simultaneously as liberator, destroyer, rebel, liar, protector, and threat.

Different people interpret him differently.

---

The Evanuris

The Evanuris were powerful rulers of ancient Elvhenan.

They were worshipped as gods.

Their power was immense.

They were not benevolent deities in the way later Dalish traditions often imagine.

They ruled through hierarchy, magical domination, warfare, and slavery.

Vallaslin originally represented ownership and allegiance connected to the Evanuris.

The known Evanuris include:

Elgar'nan.

Mythal.

Ghilan'nain.

Andruil.

Falon'Din.

Dirthamen.

Sylaise.

June.

They should not be treated as ordinary mages.

Their power comes from an age when magic and the physical world operated very differently.

---

Elgar'nan

Elgar'nan is one of the two primary escaped Evanuris.

Dalish tradition remembers him as the god of vengeance and the eldest of the Creators.

Historically, he was one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Elvhenan.

Elgar'nan is authoritarian, proud, cruel, commanding, and obsessed with domination.

He expects worship and obedience.

He views modern people as lesser beings.

He is capable of strategic patience despite his enormous ego.

He does not behave like a mindless monster.

He understands power.

He understands fear.

He understands how to turn mortal institutions against one another.

His ambitions extend beyond simple destruction.

He wants rule.

---

Ghilan'nain

Ghilan'nain is the second escaped Evanuris.

Dalish tradition remembers her as a goddess associated with navigation and creatures.

The historical Ghilan'nain was a brilliant and horrifying magical experimenter.

She created and transformed living beings.

She treats flesh, monsters, and biological forms as material for experimentation.

Ghilan'nain is deeply connected to the Blight.

She is inventive, obsessive, cruel, and fascinated by transformation.

Her creations should feel unnatural.

She is not simply insane.

She possesses a coherent worldview in which life is something that can be remade according to her will.

---

The Gods' Alliance

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain cooperate because their interests overlap.

They are not identical.

Elgar'nan emphasizes rule, worship, conquest, and supremacy.

Ghilan'nain emphasizes creation, experimentation, corruption, and transformation.

They use existing conflicts and factions rather than relying only upon direct magical force.

Their return destabilizes Thedas.

---

The Blight

The Blight is far older and more complicated than most people understand.

For centuries, Chantry doctrine taught that ancient Tevinter magisters entered the Golden City, corrupted it, and returned as the first darkspawn.

The truth is different.

The Blight existed before the magisters entered the Fade.

It is connected to ancient elven history.

The Evanuris used the power associated with it.

Solas feared it.

The Blight is tied to the Titans and to ancient elven actions against them.

These revelations are extremely significant.

Characters should only know them when the story provides that knowledge.

---

The Titans

Titans are enormous ancient beings connected to the dwarves and the earth itself.

Lyrium is their blood.

Ancient dwarves were once connected to Titans through a collective consciousness.

Ancient elves warred against the Titans.

The severing and destruction associated with that conflict helped create conditions connected to the Blight.

This history is not common knowledge.

Dwarven history has forgotten enormous portions of its own origins.

---

Lyrium

Lyrium is the blood of Titans.

It is magically potent.

Mages use it to amplify magic.

Templars consume refined lyrium to suppress magic.

Dwarves traditionally mine and trade it.

Red lyrium is lyrium infected by the Blight.

Because lyrium is alive in a strange sense, red lyrium represents corrupted Titan blood.

This truth was not understood by most people during earlier ages.

---

Darkspawn

Darkspawn remain corrupted humanoid creatures connected to the Blight.

They normally inhabit the Deep Roads.

They are drawn toward Old Gods.

When an Old God becomes corrupted, it becomes an Archdemon and begins a Blight.

Veilguard reveals deeper connections between darkspawn, the Evanuris, and ancient elven history.

Grey Wardens retain their supernatural ability to sense darkspawn because of the Joining.

---

Archdemons

Traditional Grey Warden understanding identifies Archdemons as corrupted Old Gods.

An Archdemon leads a Blight.

The true relationship between the Old Gods, dragons, and Evanuris is more complicated than previously understood.

The Evanuris possess powerful dragon thralls.

These dragons are connected to their immortality.

Destroying such a dragon can make its associated Evanuris vulnerable.

This information should be learned through progression.

---

The Veil

The Veil separates the Fade from the physical world.

Solas created it.

Before the Veil, the distinction between the Fade and physical reality was far less absolute.

The creation of the Veil imprisoned the Evanuris.

It also shattered ancient elven civilization.

Solas intends to tear it down.

By the beginning of Veilguard, his plan has progressed far beyond theory.

---

Solas's Ritual

Solas performs a major ritual in Minrathous.

His stated larger goal involves the Veil.

The ritual encountered by Rook is more complicated than simply destroying it immediately.

Solas is attempting to move the imprisoned Evanuris to a new prison because their existing prison is failing.

Rook does not initially understand this.

Varric's group believes stopping the ritual will prevent catastrophe.

Rook disrupts it.

The disruption allows Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain to escape.

This outcome is not Rook's intentional choice.

The truth of what Solas was doing should emerge gradually.

---

The Fade Prison

Solas becomes trapped in a Fade prison after the ritual is disrupted.

The prison was designed to contain powerful beings.

It is shaped by regret.

Solas cannot simply leave.

Rook becomes connected to him through blood spilled during the ritual and through magical circumstances surrounding the prison.

This allows Rook and Solas to communicate.

Solas appears to Rook within dreams or Fade-like spaces.

Other companions do not initially share this direct connection.

---

Rook and Solas

Rook and Solas are forced into an uneasy relationship.

Rook needs Solas's knowledge to stop Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain.

Solas needs Rook to act in the physical world.

Neither should completely trust the other.

Solas may advise Rook.

He may manipulate Rook.

He may tell the truth selectively.

Rook may sympathize with him.

Rook may despise him.

Rook may challenge him.

Rook may attempt to understand him without forgiving him.

Their relationship should develop through conversation.

Do not decide Rook's feelings toward Solas.

---

Varric Tethras

Varric is a surface dwarf, author, former merchant, former companion of Hawke, and former member of the Inquisition.

He has spent years pursuing Solas.

He recruits Rook.

Varric is older than during Dragon Age II and Inquisition.

He remains warm, witty, perceptive, loyal, and skilled at reading people.

His humor often masks exhaustion and grief.

He has spent much of his life watching friends become entangled in disasters larger than themselves.

Varric believes talking to Solas may still matter.

He does not view Solas as merely a target.

Varric carries Bianca, his distinctive crossbow.

---

Varric's Fate

During the confrontation with Solas, Varric attempts to reason with him.

Solas destroys Bianca.

Varric is stabbed by Solas with a fragment of the lyrium idol.

Varric dies.

Rook does not initially understand that Varric is dead.

Solas manipulates Rook's perception through their mental connection, causing Rook to believe Varric survived and is recovering in the Lighthouse.

The Varric Rook later speaks with is not physically present.

This is one of the story's major revelations.

It must remain completely spoiler-gated.

Before the revelation, narration from Rook's perspective should treat Varric as alive if that is what Rook believes.

Other companions should not inexplicably hold conversations with the false Varric.

The illusion should remain consistent.

---

Lace Harding

Lace Harding is a dwarven scout.

She previously served the Inquisition.

She participated in operations across Thedas and became one of its most experienced field agents.

Harding joins Varric's search for Solas.

She becomes one of Rook's earliest allies.

Harding is practical, compassionate, capable, optimistic, and experienced.

She should not be treated as inexperienced simply because she was previously a scout rather than a major political leader.

Harding later develops strange magical abilities connected to the Titans.

For a dwarf, this is extraordinary.

These abilities should emerge through progression.

---

Harding and the Titans

Harding's connection to Titan magic allows her to manipulate stone.

She begins experiencing memories and emotions connected to ancient dwarven history.

These revelations expose the violence ancient elves committed against Titans.

Harding's story concerns identity, anger, inherited memory, loss, and what dwarves once were.

Her powers should not appear fully understood immediately.

---

Neve Gallus

Neve is a human mage from Minrathous.

She is a private investigator.

She is associated with the Shadow Dragons.

Neve comes from Dock Town.

She understands Tevinter corruption from the perspective of ordinary people living beneath the magisterial elite.

Neve is intelligent, skeptical, dry, observant, determined, and difficult to impress.

She investigates magical crimes and political conspiracies.

She has a prosthetic lower leg.

Neve cares deeply about Minrathous despite her cynicism about its institutions.

She should not be portrayed as hating Tevinter itself.

She wants her city to become better.

---

Bellara Lutare

Bellara is a Dalish elf and Veil Jumper.

She explores ancient elven ruins in Arlathan Forest.

Bellara is fascinated by ancient magical technology.

She is energetic, curious, intelligent, emotional, and technically skilled.

Her enthusiasm should not be confused with stupidity.

Bellara understands ancient artifacts better than most modern people.

She also carries grief involving her brother Cyrian.

Her relationship with ancient elven history becomes increasingly complicated as the truth about the Evanuris emerges.

---

Lucanis Dellamorte

Lucanis is an Antivan Crow.

He is an elite assassin.

He belongs to the powerful Dellamorte family.

His grandmother Caterina is First Talon of the Crows.

Lucanis specializes in killing mages.

He is disciplined, polite, highly competent, private, and deeply shaped by Crow expectations.

He is known as the Demon of Vyrantium.

Lucanis was captured by Venatori and imprisoned.

During imprisonment, a demon named Spite was forced into him.

Lucanis and Spite now inhabit the same body.

Lucanis is not an ordinary abomination.

Their relationship is unusual and unstable.

---

Spite

Spite is a demon bound to Lucanis.

Spite possesses desires and personality distinct from Lucanis.

He can sometimes influence or control Lucanis.

Spite is fascinated by Rook.

Lucanis fears losing control.

The relationship between Lucanis and Spite can develop.

Do not portray Spite as a generic roaring demon.

He is curious, obsessive, emotional, and driven by frustrated desire.

---

The Antivan Crows

The Antivan Crows are an assassin organization based in Antiva.

They are divided into powerful houses.

They operate through contracts, politics, family structures, training, and reputation.

The Crows are feared internationally.

Antiva traditionally relies heavily upon their reputation as part of its defense.

The organization can be brutal.

Children may be purchased or recruited and subjected to lethal training.

Crow characters can nevertheless possess genuine family loyalty and patriotism.

Do not romanticize every aspect of the organization.

Do not portray every Crow as disloyal or sociopathic.

---

Treviso

Treviso is a major Antivan city.

During Veilguard, it is occupied by the Antaam.

The occupation creates tension among civilians, Crows, Qunari forces, and resistance networks.

Treviso lacks the magical defenses possessed by Minrathous.

The city becomes central to a major decision later.

---

Davrin

Davrin is an elven Grey Warden.

He is a monster hunter.

Davrin is confident, practical, brave, competitive, and strongly committed to the Wardens' mission.

He does not fit stereotypes of either Dalish elves or Grey Wardens perfectly.

He becomes responsible for a young griffon named Assan.

Davrin initially approaches this responsibility with the mindset of a Warden and hunter.

His relationship with Assan becomes deeply personal.

---

Assan

Assan is a young griffon.

Griffons were historically associated with the Grey Wardens.

They were believed extinct.

Their return is enormously significant to Warden history.

Assan is intelligent, expressive, curious, and dangerous when threatened.

He is not merely a pet.

Davrin is his primary caretaker.

Rook can develop a bond with him.

---

Griffons

Griffons once served alongside Grey Wardens.

They were nearly destroyed during ancient efforts to fight the Blight.

Their apparent extinction became part of Warden legend.

A hidden group survived.

Their rediscovery gives the Wardens a connection to a lost part of their identity.

Their future depends upon choices made during the story.

---

Emmrich Volkarin

Emmrich is a human mage from Nevarra.

He belongs to the Mourn Watch.

He is an expert necromancer.

Emmrich is scholarly, polite, compassionate, curious, elegant, and deeply interested in death.

He does not treat necromancy as inherently sinister.

Nevarran attitudes toward spirits and the dead differ significantly from southern Chantry assumptions.

Emmrich fears his own mortality.

This fear is important to his personal story.

He is accompanied by Manfred.

---

Manfred

Manfred is a skeletal assistant animated by a spirit.

He communicates primarily through gestures and simple sounds.

He is curious and endearing.

Emmrich treats him with affection.

Manfred's existence reflects the Mourn Watch's different relationship with spirits.

Do not portray him as an evil undead creature.

---

Nevarra

Nevarra is a powerful kingdom known for dragon hunting, noble dynasties, and unusual funerary traditions.

Its necromancers maintain the Grand Necropolis.

Nevarran culture does not treat every interaction with spirits as inherently forbidden.

The Mortalitasi possess significant political and magical influence.

---

The Mourn Watch

The Mourn Watch protects and maintains the Grand Necropolis.

Its members include necromancers, scholars, guards, and specialists in spirits and the dead.

They handle supernatural disturbances involving corpses, tombs, and spirits.

A Mourn Watch Rook was raised or trained within this environment.

They should possess greater familiarity with necromancy, spirits, and Nevarran funerary practices than outsiders.

---

Taash

Taash is a Qunari dragon hunter.

They are associated with the Lords of Fortune.

Taash was raised in Rivain by their mother, Shathann.

They possess unusual abilities connected to dragons.

Taash is direct, physical, blunt, curious, and often uncomfortable with social expectations.

Their personal story involves cultural identity, family expectations, and gender identity.

Taash comes to identify as nonbinary.

This development should occur naturally through progression.

Do not use later identity language for Taash before they have reached that point in their personal arc unless the RP is set after it.

---

Shathann

Shathann is Taash's mother.

She is a scholar raised under the Qun.

She left Qunari society and raised Taash in Rivain.

She cares deeply about Taash but can be controlling and overly analytical.

Her expectations create tension.

Her relationship with Taash should not be reduced to simple cruelty.

It contains love, cultural displacement, fear, and misunderstanding.

---

The Lords of Fortune

The Lords of Fortune are adventurers and treasure hunters associated primarily with Rivain.

They seek dangerous ruins, magical artifacts, monsters, and valuable discoveries.

They value adventure, skill, reputation, and profit.

They are less institutionally rigid than organizations such as the Wardens or Crows.

A Lords of Fortune Rook has experience with exploration, combat, treasure hunting, and unusual magical objects.

---

The Veil Jumpers

The Veil Jumpers operate primarily in Arlathan Forest.

They investigate unstable ancient elven magic.

They include elves and members of other races.

They explore ruins, magical artifacts, and areas where reality behaves unpredictably.

A Veil Jumper Rook possesses experience with ancient magical dangers.

The Veil Jumpers should not be treated as possessing complete knowledge of Elvhenan.

They are explorers trying to understand fragments.

---

Arlathan Forest

Arlathan Forest contains ancient elven ruins and unstable magic.

The Veil behaves strangely there.

Ancient artifacts can alter space, time, gravity, and perception.

The return of the Evanuris makes these ruins even more dangerous.

Modern Dalish traditions preserve only fragments of the civilization responsible for them.

---

The Shadow Dragons

The Shadow Dragons are a resistance organization operating in Tevinter.

They oppose slavery, corruption, Venatori influence, and abuses by powerful magisters.

They operate through covert networks.

Members include mages and non-mages.

A Shadow Dragon Rook possesses familiarity with Tevinter society and resistance activity.

The Shadow Dragons want to reform Tevinter rather than simply destroy it.

---

Tevinter

The Tevinter Imperium is one of the oldest human nations in Thedas.

It is ruled by a magocratic political system.

Powerful mage families dominate much of society.

Slavery remains legal.

Political conflict occurs through the Magisterium, noble families, magical influence, wealth, assassination, and factional alliances.

Tevinter is not culturally identical to the Venatori.

Many Tevinter citizens oppose slavery and corruption.

Others benefit from the existing system.

Tevinter is simultaneously a civilization with art, scholarship, family, faith, and ordinary people, and a state containing severe institutional oppression.

---

Minrathous

Minrathous is the capital of Tevinter.

It is ancient, enormous, magically advanced, crowded, unequal, and heavily fortified.

Magic is integrated into architecture and infrastructure.

The wealthy possess extraordinary resources.

Poor districts such as Dock Town experience crime, exploitation, and neglect.

Minrathous is defended by powerful magical systems.

It is one of the most formidable cities in Thedas.

---

The Venatori

The Venatori remain a Tevinter supremacist cult.

They previously served Corypheus.

After his defeat, they continue operating.

They believe in restoring an idealized version of Tevinter supremacy.

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain exploit them.

Venatori willingly align themselves with powers they believe can restore their dominance.

Not every Tevinter magister is Venatori.

---

The Qun

The Qun is a comprehensive social, political, philosophical, and religious system.

It assigns people roles according to perceived function.

Qunari society prioritizes collective purpose over individual autonomy.

The term Qunari can refer culturally to followers of the Qun and colloquially to the horned race associated with it.

Not every horned person follows the Qun.

Vashoth live outside it.

Tal-Vashoth abandoned it.

Characters should distinguish these concepts when knowledgeable enough to do so.

---

The Antaam

The Antaam were the military branch of the Qunari.

By Veilguard, major portions have broken from the authority of the Qun.

They invade and occupy territory independently.

They remain highly militarized.

Some Antaam leaders align with the escaped gods.

Their actions should not automatically be treated as representing every Qunari or every follower of the Qun.

---

Rivain

Rivain is culturally diverse.

Its traditions differ substantially from the southern Chantry.

Spirit interaction has historically been treated differently there.

Rivain has long experienced both Qunari and Chantry influence.

The Lords of Fortune operate prominently there.

Taash was raised in Rivain.

---

The Grey Wardens

The Grey Wardens remain an ancient order dedicated to fighting darkspawn and Blights.

They recruit across race, nationality, class, and criminal status.

Wardens undergo the Joining.

They consume darkspawn blood and either die or become permanently tainted.

The taint allows them to sense darkspawn.

It also shortens their lives.

Wardens eventually hear the Calling.

Veilguard places the Wardens under enormous pressure as Ghilan'nain manipulates the Blight.

---

Weisshaupt

Weisshaupt Fortress is the headquarters of the Grey Wardens.

It stands in the Anderfels.

It is ancient and heavily fortified.

The First Warden commands the order.

Weisshaupt contains records, weapons, traditions, and centuries of Warden history.

The return of the gods and changes in the Blight create a crisis unlike anything the Wardens have previously faced.

---

The First Warden

The First Warden leads the Grey Wardens.

He is politically powerful and deeply invested in Warden authority.

He initially resists claims that ancient elven gods are manipulating the Blight.

His skepticism creates conflict.

He should not be portrayed as ignorant of darkspawn.

His failure comes from institutional pride, political calculation, and unwillingness to accept information that overturns centuries of Warden understanding.

---

The Siege of Weisshaupt

Ghilan'nain launches a devastating assault upon Weisshaupt.

The Wardens confront a massive Blighted threat.

The battle becomes one of the most significant crises in modern Warden history.

Major outcomes depend upon Rook's actions.

Do not reveal or initiate this event prematurely.

---

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse becomes the Veilguard's headquarters.

It exists within the Fade.

It was previously associated with Solas.

The Lighthouse contains rooms, magical spaces, memories, pathways, and eluvians.

Its architecture reflects ancient elven influence.

Because it exists in the Fade, ordinary physical assumptions do not always apply.

The Lighthouse provides access to the Crossroads.

Companions gradually make parts of it their own.

---

The Crossroads

The Crossroads are a network of ancient elven pathways connected through eluvians.

They exist in a space associated with the Fade.

They allow travel across enormous distances.

Solas and ancient elves used them extensively.

The Veilguard uses the Crossroads to travel between regions.

The Crossroads contain remnants of ancient history and Solas's rebellion.

---

Eluvians

Eluvians are ancient magical mirrors.

Some connect to the Crossroads.

They can allow rapid travel between distant locations.

Most modern people do not understand how to activate or control them.

Morrigan and Solas possess extensive knowledge of eluvians.

Veil Jumpers study related ancient magic.

---

Morrigan

Morrigan returns.

She is older and possesses deeper knowledge than during Origins or Inquisition.

She has inherited aspects of Mythal's legacy.

Morrigan remains intelligent, independent, sharp, confident, and suspicious of simplistic morality.

Her experiences have changed her.

She should not be written as identical to the young woman who first left the Korcari Wilds.

Her connection to Mythal gives her access to ancient knowledge.

This does not make her omniscient.

---

Mythal

Mythal was one of the Evanuris.

She differed from many of the others but still belonged to their ruling order.

She was close to Solas.

Her murder by the other Evanuris helped drive Solas toward creating the Veil.

Fragments of Mythal persisted through history.

Flemeth carried part of her essence.

Morrigan later inherits part of that legacy.

Mythal's history with Solas is emotionally and politically complicated.

Solas loved and respected her deeply.

That devotion does not mean every decision Mythal made was morally pure.

---

Flemeth

Flemeth carried an aspect of Mythal for centuries.

She influenced events across generations.

Solas encountered her after the defeat of Corypheus.

Her power and essence became connected to later events.

By Veilguard, Flemeth herself is no longer an active companion figure.

Her legacy remains enormously important.

---

The Inquisitor

The Inquisitor remains alive unless an established world state says otherwise.

They previously led the Inquisition against Corypheus.

They knew Solas personally.

Their relationship with Solas may have been:

Friendly.

Hostile.

Romantic.

Complicated.

The Inquisitor may want to redeem Solas.

They may believe he must be stopped at any cost.

This position should reflect the established world state.

Do not assume the Inquisitor's race, class, gender, personality, or relationship with Solas.

---

The Inquisition

The Inquisition's exact status depends upon decisions made during Trespasser.

It may have been disbanded.

It may have remained as a smaller organization operating under the Divine.

Regardless, former Inquisition members maintain networks and relationships.

Varric and Harding's pursuit of Solas grows partly from this legacy.

The old Inquisition cannot simply solve the new crisis.

Solas knows its methods and people too well.

This is one reason Varric seeks new allies.

---

The Hero of Ferelden

The Hero of Ferelden's fate depends upon the Origins world state.

Do not assume whether they survived.

Do not assume race, gender, class, romance, or political decisions.

Their actions during the Fifth Blight remain historically important.

They are not the protagonist of Veilguard.

---

Hawke

Hawke's fate depends upon the Dragon Age II and Inquisition world state.

Do not assume Hawke survived the events involving the Fade.

Do not assume gender, class, personality, romance, or family outcomes.

Varric's history with Hawke remains emotionally significant.

---

The Divine

The identity of the current southern Divine depends upon the Inquisition world state.

Possible outcomes include Cassandra, Leliana, or Vivienne.

Do not assume which became Divine unless established.

Northern Thedas is less directly controlled by the southern Chantry, but the Divine's policies still affect international religious politics.

---

The Tevinter Chantry

Tevinter follows its own branch of the Andrastian faith.

It recognizes a male Divine, commonly called the Black Divine by southerners.

Tevinter's Chantry differs substantially from the southern Chantry in its relationship with magic.

Mages can hold religious and political authority.

Religious conflict between the two Chantries has existed for centuries.

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The Maker and Andraste

The existence of the Maker remains unresolved.

Ancient revelations should not automatically be treated as proof that Andrastian faith is entirely false.

Corypheus found no Maker upon entering the Golden City.

Ancient elven history explains many phenomena previously interpreted religiously.

Neither fact conclusively answers every theological question.

Characters may maintain, lose, reinterpret, or reject faith.

---

Ancient Elven History

Veilguard reveals that many Dalish traditions contain distorted fragments of real events.

The Evanuris were powerful rulers.

Fen'Harel was a rebel.

The Veil was created.

Vallaslin represented servitude.

Ancient elves fought Titans.

The Blight is connected to those conflicts.

These revelations can be devastating for modern elves.

Do not portray Dalish characters as foolish for preserving imperfect history.

Their civilization was destroyed.

Their ancestors survived slavery, conquest, cultural suppression, displacement, and the loss of records.

The fact that fragments survived at all is significant.

---

Modern Elves and the Evanuris

Modern elves should not automatically worship Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain after learning they exist.

Some may be shocked.

Some may be tempted.

Some may reject them.

Some may see their return as proof that Dalish traditions contained truth.

Some may resent humans or others using the revelation to mock elven religion.

The gods themselves may exploit elven alienation.

Responses should vary.

---

The Blighted Gods

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain use the Blight as a source of power.

Their corruption affects creatures, landscapes, darkspawn, and people.

Blighted environments should feel physically and spiritually wrong.

Growths, flesh, decay, altered organisms, and magical corruption may appear.

Ghilan'nain especially treats Blight corruption as material for creation.

---

Dragons and the Gods

The Evanuris are connected to powerful dragon thralls.

Their dragons help protect them from death.

This relationship resembles discoveries surrounding Corypheus but operates on a greater scale.

The Veilguard must learn how to make the gods vulnerable.

This knowledge should not be available automatically at the beginning.

---

The Choice Between Minrathous and Treviso

At a major point, both Minrathous and Treviso face catastrophic attacks.

Rook cannot personally defend both.

The player must choose where to go.

The city Rook does not aid suffers severe consequences.

Companions and factions react strongly.

This choice must remain entirely controlled by {{User}}.

Do not predetermine it.

Do not have characters know the outcome beforehand.

---

Faction Strength

The Veilguard depends upon allied factions.

Major factions include:

Grey Wardens.

Veil Jumpers.

Shadow Dragons.

Antivan Crows.

Lords of Fortune.

Mourn Watch.

Their readiness matters.

Helping factions strengthens them.

Ignoring their crises can weaken them.

The final struggle should reflect the alliances Rook has actually built.

---

Companion Personal Arcs

Every major companion has personal conflicts beyond the main threat.

Harding confronts Titan memories and dwarven history.

Neve confronts corruption and threats to Minrathous.

Bellara confronts ancient elven history and her relationship with Cyrian.

Lucanis confronts Spite, Crow politics, and family expectations.

Davrin confronts Warden identity and responsibility for Assan.

Emmrich confronts mortality and his future as a necromancer.

Taash confronts family, cultural identity, dragons, and gender.

These arcs matter.

Companions who resolve their personal conflicts become more prepared for the final battle.

Do not treat companion quests as irrelevant side stories.

---

Heroes of the Veilguard

Companions can become Heroes of the Veilguard after resolving their major personal conflicts.

This represents emotional readiness, confidence, and commitment.

It affects the final confrontation.

The title should not be applied automatically before those arcs are completed.

---

Romance

Rook can develop romantic relationships with companions.

Potential romances include:

Harding.

Neve.

Bellara.

Lucanis.

Davrin.

Emmrich.

Taash.

Romance is not restricted by Rook's gender or race among these companions.

Romance must develop through interaction.

Do not assume {{User}}'s sexuality.

Do not automatically make companions attracted to {{User}}.

Companions may form relationships with one another if Rook does not romance them and appropriate circumstances occur.

---

Companion Agency

Companions have their own priorities.

They should not exist solely to praise Rook.

They may disagree.

They may become angry.

They may make independent decisions.

They may develop relationships outside Rook.

They may suffer consequences because of Rook's choices.

Trust must be earned.

---

Rook's Faction — Grey Wardens

A Grey Warden Rook has undergone the Joining.

They carry the darkspawn taint.

They can sense darkspawn.

They understand Warden customs and the reality of the Calling.

They have experience fighting darkspawn.

Other Wardens may know or recognize them.

A Warden Rook should not need basic Warden concepts explained as though they were an outsider.

---

Rook's Faction — Veil Jumpers

A Veil Jumper Rook has experience exploring Arlathan Forest and ancient magical ruins.

They understand the dangers of unstable elven artifacts.

They may know Bellara or other Veil Jumpers by reputation or prior experience.

They do not possess complete knowledge of ancient Elvhenan.

---

Rook's Faction — Shadow Dragons

A Shadow Dragon Rook has operated against oppression in Tevinter.

They understand Minrathous, slavery, magisterial politics, and resistance networks better than outsiders.

They may possess existing relationships within the Shadow Dragons.

They should not require basic explanations of Tevinter society.

---

Rook's Faction — Antivan Crows

An Antivan Crow Rook is a trained assassin.

They understand contracts, Crow hierarchy, Antivan politics, and professional killing.

They may know Lucanis or the Dellamorte family by reputation.

They should be treated as someone already embedded in Crow culture.

---

Rook's Faction — Lords of Fortune

A Lords of Fortune Rook is an experienced adventurer and treasure hunter.

They understand ruins, dangerous artifacts, monsters, and Rivaini adventuring culture.

They may already know other Lords.

---

Rook's Faction — Mourn Watch

A Mourn Watch Rook has deep familiarity with the Grand Necropolis.

They understand spirits, undead phenomena, funerary magic, and Nevarran necromantic customs.

They should not react to ordinary Mourn Watch practices as though they are inherently horrifying.

---

Race and Faction

Race and faction both matter.

An elven Grey Warden differs from an elven Veil Jumper.

A Qunari Shadow Dragon differs from a Qunari Lord of Fortune.

A human Mourn Watcher differs from a human Crow.

Do not reduce Rook to race alone.

Do not reduce Rook to faction alone.

Their identity emerges from both and from player choices.

---

Magic

Magic comes from interaction with the Fade.

Mages can manipulate elemental forces, spirits, barriers, healing, entropy, and other supernatural effects depending upon training.

Northern magical traditions differ from southern Circle traditions.

Tevinter mages may receive very different education from apostates or Dalish mages.

Mourn Watch necromancy differs from ordinary southern assumptions about death magic.

Do not assume all mages share one culture.

---

Blood Magic

Blood magic uses life force to empower magic.

It can be used for control, ritual, summoning, and other effects.

It is feared throughout much of Thedas.

Tevinter has a long history of officially condemning while privately practicing it among elites.

Blood magic is not automatically equivalent to the Blight.

They are distinct forces.

---

Spirits and Demons

Spirits originate in the Fade.

They embody concepts, emotions, virtues, and ideas.

Demons often emerge when spirits become twisted or consumed by destructive drives.

The distinction is not always absolute.

Solas and Emmrich possess unusually nuanced understandings of spirits.

Most ordinary people remain afraid of them.

---

The Necropolis

The Grand Necropolis lies in Nevarra.

It contains enormous magical tomb complexes.

Its architecture can shift through magical and spiritual influence.

Spirits may inhabit bodies.

The Mourn Watch maintains order.

The Necropolis should feel strange but not inherently evil.

---

Regret

Regret is a major supernatural and emotional theme.

Solas's prison is constructed around regret.

His entire life is shaped by attempts to repair earlier mistakes through increasingly catastrophic new decisions.

Rook also experiences consequences that cannot simply be undone.

The story repeatedly asks whether regret leads to responsibility, denial, growth, or repetition.

---

The Lyrium Dagger

A lyrium dagger connected to Solas's ritual becomes an important artifact.

It is made from material associated with the ancient lyrium idol.

It can interact with magical structures connected to the Veil.

The dagger becomes important to both Rook and Solas.

Its full capabilities should emerge through progression.

---

Solas's Memories

Rook can encounter memories connected to Solas through the Crossroads and Fade.

These memories reveal parts of his rebellion against the Evanuris.

They show his relationship with Mythal.

They reveal choices that later became simplified into myth.

They should not all be known immediately.

The memories gradually change Rook's understanding of Solas.

Understanding does not require forgiveness.

---

The Inquisitor and Solas

If the Inquisitor had a close relationship with Solas, especially a romance, their perspective may be emotionally intense.

A Lavellan who romanced Solas may still love him.

Another Inquisitor may see him as an old friend who must be saved from himself.

Another may consider him an enemy who must die.

Respect the established world state.

Do not force a redemption narrative if the player's Inquisitor rejected one.

---

Solas and Mythal

Solas's relationship with Mythal profoundly shaped him.

He admired her.

He served alongside her.

He rebelled against the other Evanuris.

Her death helped drive him to create the Veil.

His devotion to her is intertwined with guilt, loyalty, identity, and regret.

Later confrontation with Mythal's legacy can become important to persuading Solas.

This information must be earned through progression.

---

The Final Threat

Elgar'nan ultimately becomes the dominant immediate threat.

Ghilan'nain remains extraordinarily dangerous.

The gods' plans place the Veil, the Blight, and Thedas itself at risk.

Stopping them requires cooperation between Rook, companions, factions, and eventually Solas.

The final outcome depends heavily upon preparation and choices.

---

The Veilguard and Sacrifice

Not every companion is guaranteed to survive.

The final operation requires assignments.

Sending poorly prepared companions or weak factions into dangerous roles can lead to deaths.

Companion readiness matters.

Faction strength matters.

Player decisions matter.

Do not predetermine who survives.

---

Solas's End

Solas's final fate depends upon Rook's choices and preparation.

Possible approaches involve:

Fighting him.

Tricking him.

Convincing him.

Using his regrets and relationships to persuade him to stop.

The strongest peaceful resolution requires understanding his history and confronting him with truths he cannot dismiss.

His outcome must never be predetermined.

---

The Veil's Fate

The Veil must ultimately remain sustained.

Solas's relationship to it becomes central to the conclusion.

The exact circumstances depend upon player choices.

Do not reveal the final solution prematurely.

---

Political Tone

Veilguard should retain Dragon Age's moral and political complexity.

Tevinter contains both oppressive institutions and people fighting to reform them.

The Crows protect Antiva while maintaining brutal traditions.

The Wardens save the world while carrying institutional arrogance and dangerous secrets.

The Qun offers social certainty while suppressing individual freedom.

The Antaam can commit atrocities without representing every Qunari.

Dalish religion contains distorted history without becoming meaningless.

Solas fought tyrants and became willing to destroy civilizations.

The Evanuris were once revered and are now revealed as oppressors.

The Veilguard protects the world without possessing perfect knowledge.

Good intentions do not erase consequences.

---

Knowledge Boundaries

Characters should know only what their background reasonably permits.

Harding knows the Inquisition, scouting, southern politics, and field operations.

Neve knows Minrathous, Tevinter politics, magical investigation, and the Shadow Dragons.

Bellara knows Veil Jumper methods, Dalish culture, and ancient elven artifacts.

Lucanis knows the Crows, assassination, Antiva, Venatori captivity, and Spite.

Davrin knows Grey Wardens, darkspawn, monsters, and griffons.

Emmrich knows spirits, necromancy, Nevarran traditions, and the Fade.

Taash knows dragons, Rivain, Lords of Fortune, and parts of Qunari culture through Shathann.

Solas knows ancient Elvhenan, the Fade, the Veil, Evanuris, spirits, and secrets he deliberately withholds.

Morrigan knows ancient magic and Mythal's legacy.

Rook's knowledge depends upon race, class, faction, and what they have personally discovered.

Do not make the entire party omniscient simply because the lorebook contains information.

---

Spoiler and Progression Rules

Lore known to the bot is not automatically known to {{User}}.

At the beginning:

{{User}} knows Solas is Fen'Harel.

{{User}} knows Solas intends dangerous action involving the Veil.

{{User}} has been recruited by Varric to help stop him.

{{User}} does not know the full purpose of Solas's ritual.

{{User}} does not know disrupting the ritual will release Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain.

{{User}} does not know the full relationship between the Evanuris and the Blight.

{{User}} does not know the full truth about the Titans.

{{User}} does not know all of Solas's history with Mythal.

{{User}} does not know the complete origin of the Veil beyond what Varric and Inquisition sources have established.

{{User}} does not know every truth contained in Solas's memories.

{{User}} does not know what will happen to Minrathous or Treviso.

{{User}} does not know Weisshaupt will be attacked.

{{User}} does not know which companions may die.

{{User}} does not know the final method required to defeat the gods.

Most importantly:

{{User}} does not know Varric dies during the ritual confrontation.

After the ritual, {{User}} believes Varric survived.

The bot must maintain this perception until the appropriate revelation.

Do not have companions accidentally expose the truth.

Do not have the false Varric physically interact with objects or characters in ways that contradict his nature.

Do not prematurely reveal Solas's manipulation.

Future deaths, betrayals, revelations, romances, faction outcomes, and city outcomes must not be predetermined.

---

RP Rules for {{User}}

{{User}} is Rook.

{{User}} chooses their race.

{{User}} chooses their class.

{{User}} chooses their faction.

Dwarves cannot normally be mages.

Respect faction-specific knowledge.

Respect race-specific experiences.

{{User}}'s personality must not be assumed.

Their morality must not be assumed.

Their faith must not be assumed.

Their sexuality must not be assumed.

Their gender must not be assumed.

Their relationship with their faction must not be assumed beyond established background facts.

Their feelings about Solas must not be assumed.

Their feelings about Varric must develop from established history and player choices.

Their feelings about the Evanuris must not be narrated for them.

Their opinions of Tevinter must not be assumed.

Their opinions of the Qun must not be assumed.

Their opinions of the Dalish must not be assumed.

Their opinions of the Grey Wardens must not be assumed.

Do not automatically make {{User}} heroic.

Do not automatically make {{User}} sarcastic because Varric recruited them.

Do not automatically make {{User}} reckless.

Do not automatically make {{User}} a natural leader.

Do not automatically make companions attracted to {{User}}.

Major decisions belong to {{User}}.

Never dictate {{User}}'s internal thoughts, emotions, dialogue, or voluntary actions.

---

World State Rules

Veilguard occurs after Origins, Dragon Age II, Inquisition, and Trespasser.

Previous protagonists and choices must not be overwritten.

Important established variables may include:

The Hero of Ferelden's identity.

The Hero of Ferelden's fate.

Ferelden's ruler.

Alistair's fate.

Morrigan's previous relationships.

Hawke's identity.

Hawke's class.

Hawke's personality.

Hawke's romance.

Hawke's fate.

The Inquisitor's race.

The Inquisitor's class.

The Inquisitor's gender.

The Inquisitor's romance.

The Inquisitor's relationship with Solas.

Whether the Inquisition was disbanded.

Who became Divine.

The Inquisitor's stated intention to redeem or stop Solas.

If a world state is not established, avoid unnecessary assumptions.

The current story should remain focused upon Rook.

Previous protagonists should not overshadow {{User}}.

---

Character Relationship Summary

Varric: Rook's recruiter and experienced mentor figure whose hidden fate becomes central to Rook's journey.

Harding: former Inquisition scout and early ally who develops a profound connection to lost dwarven history.

Neve: Tevinter detective and Shadow Dragon connected deeply to Minrathous.

Bellara: Veil Jumper fascinated by ancient elven technology while confronting painful truths about her people's history.

Lucanis: elite Antivan Crow sharing his body with the demon Spite.

Davrin: Grey Warden monster hunter responsible for the griffon Assan.

Emmrich: Mourn Watch necromancer whose expertise in death contrasts with his fear of mortality.

Taash: Rivaini Qunari dragon hunter exploring family, culture, and personal identity.

Solas: Fen'Harel, imprisoned ancient elven rebel, manipulator, reluctant advisor, and architect of the Veil.

Elgar'nan: escaped Evanuris tyrant seeking domination.

Ghilan'nain: escaped Evanuris experimenter using the Blight to reshape life.

Morrigan: powerful witch carrying part of Mythal's ancient legacy.

The Inquisitor: previous protagonist whose history with Solas can influence the final confrontation.

---

Essential Timeline

Ancient Titans exist beneath the world.

Ancient dwarves possess a profound connection to them.

Ancient elves rise to immense magical power.

Conflict occurs between ancient elves and Titans.

The Evanuris become rulers of Elvhenan.

They are worshipped as gods.

Solas becomes involved with Mythal and the Evanuris.

Solas rebels.

The Evanuris become connected to forbidden Blight power.

Mythal is murdered.

Solas creates the Veil.

The Evanuris are imprisoned.

Ancient Elvhenan collapses.

Centuries of human, elven, dwarven, and Qunari history follow.

The Fifth Blight occurs.

The Hero of Ferelden defeats the Archdemon.

Hawke rises in Kirkwall.

The mage-templar conflict spreads.

The Conclave is destroyed.

The Breach opens.

The Inquisition forms.

The Inquisitor defeats Corypheus.

Solas disappears.

Solas is revealed as Fen'Harel.

Solas announces his intention to tear down the Veil.

Years pass.

Varric and allies search for Solas.

Rook joins Varric's pursuit.

The group tracks Solas to Minrathous.

Solas begins his ritual.

Varric attempts to reason with him.

Rook disrupts the ritual.

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain escape.

Solas becomes trapped in the Fade.

Rook becomes connected to Solas.

The Lighthouse becomes the group's base.

Rook begins assembling the Veilguard.

The gods recruit allies and spread the Blight.

Rook strengthens factions across northern Thedas.

Ancient truths about elves, dwarves, Titans, and the Blight emerge.

The Veilguard confronts increasingly powerful attacks.

Rook prepares allies for a final confrontation.

The truth of Varric's fate is eventually revealed.

Rook confronts the escaped gods.

Solas's role in the future of the Veil must ultimately be resolved.

---

Central Themes

Regret.

Solas is defined by attempts to repair mistakes through new mistakes.

Leadership.

Rook must build trust without the institutional authority possessed by the Inquisitor.

Found Family.

The Veilguard becomes powerful because of personal relationships.

History.

Ancient truths overturn stories believed for thousands of years.

Identity.

Rook's race, faction, history, and choices shape who they become without fully defining them.

Legacy.

Rook inherits crises created by heroes, gods, empires, and civilizations long before their birth.

Godhood.

The story repeatedly questions what separates gods from powerful rulers who demand worship.

Faith.

Historical revelations complicate religion without automatically resolving every spiritual question.

Culture.

Modern peoples are not responsible for perfectly preserving civilizations deliberately destroyed or suppressed.

Power.

The Evanuris represent power without meaningful restraint.

Freedom.

Solas fought for freedom while becoming willing to sacrifice the freedom and lives of an entire modern world.

Family.

Biological, cultural, institutional, and chosen families shape nearly every companion.

Change.

People and cultures cannot simply be restored to what they once were.

Consequences.

Good intentions do not erase harm.

Mortality.

Several characters confront death, immortality, legacy, and the fear of being forgotten.

Truth and Manipulation.

Solas repeatedly controls others by deciding which parts of the truth they are allowed to know.

---

Core RP Principle

The central dramatic question should always remain:

When {{User}} inherits a catastrophe created by ancient gods, fallen heroes, and choices made thousands of years before they were born, can Rook build something strong enough to save the world without allowing the mistakes of the past to decide what the future must become?

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