Lucanis Dellamorte - Official Companion Thread [Spoilers]

Incidentally, I don't think I ever suggested it was a Faith Spirit. I did suggest a Spirit of Duty/Calling because sometimes that can be a burden and some so called benign spirits can become very obsessive in the way they follow their inclination. For example, a Spirit of Valor could lead to person being unduly reckless in their bravery and may endanger their companions as a result. We've already seen with Justice how it can easily flip over to Vengeance. I've also pointed out above that Imshael kept insisting in Masked Empire that he was a Choice Spirit, even though it seemed patently obvious he was a demon and did some very nasty things to the Keeper who originally summoned him and his clan because he wouldn't make the choice to do what Imshael wanted him to do to get his co-operation in giving him access to the eluvians, presumably because he had some moral scruples about fulfilling the request even though he had no moral scruples about summoning a powerful demon in the first place.

I suppose I am just a bit disappointed that it seems to be linked to something that the Venatori did to him rather than a choice he made for himself. For example, he recalls how his grandmother beat him and starved him as a child because he fumbled his footwork or let his guard down and he hated her for it. Imagine him shut away alone in a room, without food or water, hating his grandmother and a demon sensed it but instead of the deal being it would help him to kill his grandmother, rather it promised to help him become a master assassin so his grandmother would no longer have a reason to punish him for his failure. The demon came through with its promise but now he was committed to that path and perhaps was afraid of what it would mean for him if he abandoned his "Calling".

That is a whole lot more compelling for me than simply Zara zapped him with a demon, unless the demon decided to double cross her and did a deal with Lucanis instead. You see if he is possessed because it was forced on him by Zara, wouldn't that have been in order to make him serve her? Why is he killing all those Venatori? Why is he fighting her? Then, if we broke her hold on him, why would he still have the demon? It is clear he has because that later scene, which looks to be in the Fade, he still has his purple wings.

Well, clearly there is a lot more to learn about him, including what happened to his parents that I have always wondered about, so roll on the game is all I can say.

Scans Lucanis' wishlist:

"2 crates of pumpkins
3 crates of bananas
3 sacks of onions
4 sacks of turnips
5 wheels of cheese..."

It's so sad that Lucanis gets this little hovel. I hope he picked it himself because he prefers it this way. My solution is to have him move into Rook's room via romance. If he doesn't, well I guess Rook is moving into to pantry with him!

I do think he may actually prefer it because he feels more secure. Enemies can sneak in via windows or staircases or multiple doors. Too many cupboards can allow your enemies to hide things or themselves in them. Viago discovered that in Eight Little Talons when Emil put a poisonous snake in his wardrobe. If Lucanis is in the same room as the food he can ensure no one else poisons it. It is easy to check it on return from a mission. So, I suppose whilst we find it dreary and depressing, he might find it relaxing. Weird I know but it seems like there is going to be a lot like that about Lucanis.   (I remember how I wondered why Jack hung out in the engine room at the bottom of the Normandy when she could have gone anywhere else.  She was emotionally scarred too but eventually she let down her guard to me.)

May be moving out of the pantry would be a significant sign of him trusting Rook and being more confident with them.

I know. Also I believe it has been confirmed that apart from Emmrich, all the other companions are in their twenties or early thirties. That makes me think I was right in judging him to be not more than 35 at the most, yet he does look older in some of his pictures and I do put that down to his lonely existence and the trials he has endured. I think I am going to be more invested with befriending him and giving him affection than I am in defeating the gods. Got to get my priorities right.
Yes, lots of them and he's going to get them, provided it doesn't freak him out too much.  

Lucanis' upbringing is so depressing. It was mentioned in yesterday's QA that we'll find out what happened to his parents. On the bright side, companion rooms will change as Rook develops relationships with them, although extra decor would not be enough for Lucanis' room, it needs a renovation.

Since it's possible that the rooms in Lighthouse can magically change, maybe after some important character moment we enter and see a completely different room, without him having to move 

I find it sort of interesting that people complain about having another possessed companion. Spirits and the relationship between people and spirits are an extremely important aspect of Dragon Age, starting with Wynne and Flemeth and extending beyond them. Abominations and possessed humans/corpses (and whatever you want to qualify Cole as) provide us a window into how spirits view the world. To me, it’s akin to asking why there’s a dwarf or apostates in every game.

Hmm I see, that’s fair. Maybe that’s the true benefit of having non-romanceable companions, heh, since almost all of the possessed characters have been them. And the one that wasn’t was controversial, to say the least.

What they did with Anders and Justice in DA2 is a big reason I am wary of romancing him now but want to befriend him without a doubt. I hope it isn't a rerun of Anders. I went into DA2 excited at the prospect of romancing him because I really liked him in DAA. Then the whole merging thing with Justice came up and I thought, okay, a bit creepy but Wynne was possessed and she seemed normal with it. Perhaps it isn't that big a deal. Then came the scene where he nearly tore off Ella's head for calling him a demon and it was only me talking him down that prevented it. It was at that point that my mage Hawke decided that going with Fenris would be the safer option and he generally hated mages! Then he walked out on me after sex but at least he didn't punch a hole in my chest before he left.  (We did eventually reconcile in Act 3)

Meanwhile, I was doing my best to be supportive of Anders as a good friend. I must admit I was a little peeved that he gave his mother's pillow to Varric when all he had done was arrange a few card parties (which he also does if you do romance him - what the hell Anders!). That whole business with collecting the ingredients was so obviously suspicious and then providing the distraction. Clearly he didn't need Hawke to do any of that since he still blows up the Chantry if you refuse or even tell him to get lost at the end of Act 2, so he manipulated Hawke and abused their friendship, patently showing he never felt anything for Hawke at all but only how they could advance his agenda. Then sent out mixed messages whether he had turned Justice into a demon or Justice was the one influencing him. Naturally I was going to be wary of any possessed friend after that.   Cole wasn't possessed, he was a spirit pure and simple, more like Justice in DAA, trying to understand the world and become more at home in it.   Manfred likely fills that role in DAV.

That is why I think it important to know exactly how Lucanis became possessed. I am going to be way more wary if it was something forced on him by Zara than if it was something he entered into voluntarily, even though Anders was a voluntary arrangement whilst Wynne's spirit just took the initiative because otherwise she would have died so actually she didn't have a choice in the matter. If a spirit/demon stepped in to save his life, the nature of that being does become important but even if it is labelled a demon it is possible it is not too dire having it around. Zara having forced a demon on him is a different matter because she did it with the intent to control him, so I would question how he broke that control if at all. Nevertheless, I will still be committed to freeing him if that is the case.

I honestly thought he might already have been possessed in the Wigmaker Job and that seemed less of a problem because it didn't stop him showing compassion and mercy for the slaves as well as a desire to enact vengeance on their abuser. So, it didn't seem a problem, particularly if he had given up his life with the Crows to pursue his vendetta against the Venatori on behalf of his mysterious benefactor. Having it intimated that his possession only occurred after the Wigmaker Job and was caused by Zara is far more disturbing. However, if it was going to impact badly on Rook I doubt they would have revealed that information because it was a pretty big spoiler, whereas they could have left it open to question how he had acquired his wings and reputation.

Well, based off what occurred in the epilogue to DAI that is now open to question. Of course, Lavellan doesn't know that so boy is she in for a big surprise if it turns out he is.

I would point out that if Morrigan finally accepted the "gift" of Mythal, then she may potentially be "possessed" too. However, as with Flemeth in previous games, she would seem very much opposed to the activities of the "gods" and their "arch-demons" so I'm not too bothered by her current status. However, I believe they also indicated in the Q&A that Morrigan is going to be more forthcoming about this when she joins us. Whether either Solas or Morrigan is possessed by Mythal may become more of an issue once the other problems have been dealt with.

I wonder how much possession in DA reflects relationships IRL, in particular issues of power dynamics. Justice took advantage of Anders' trust and eventually overrode his will and personality. This did not seem to have happened with Wynne, and I doubt it will happen with Morrigan. Both Solas and Morrigan have strong personalities - indomitable wills, even - and Mythal seems experienced enough, unlike Justice, to know how to circumvent (or perhaps even manipulate..) the risks of possession. (Is Solas possessed, or did he just absorb some of her power?)

Like many, I find Lucanis' situation intriguing. I don't see them reprising the Anders situation exactly, or if they do mirror it somehow, I trust we will be given a way to resolve it, something we were not able to do in DA2. I can foresee thousands/millions of salty social media users if they don't.