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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 18, 2024 8:43:44 GMT
So another possibility for Lucanis's magical(?) powers: User Irabelas on tumblr (full credit to her) posted these screenshots in which Zevran says the Crows often make blood sacrifices to gain "uncanny abilities". ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9d078a430d9c46b388d783922df1712a/9f07a9b65dd9bdf6-98/s540x810/c580e9565427fece2b6fef6d893bc2bbbc418d9c.pnj) Just to show what you are talking about. I have to admit that was a good spot. I don't even remember him saying that. Was it in one of the DLC? Anyway, we know from Last Flight that the Crows use blood mages (probably a good place to hide from the Chantry) so this could be something that goes way back. Likely only high ranking Crows get access to the abilities too because they wouldn't want the lesser operatives to get too powerful. So those that started out as indentured servants (slaves) like Zevran would never be allowed them but the grandson of the First Talon would.
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 18, 2024 10:59:01 GMT
So another possibility for Lucanis's magical(?) powers: User Irabelas on tumblr (full credit to her) posted these screenshots in which Zevran says the Crows often make blood sacrifices to gain "uncanny abilities". ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9d078a430d9c46b388d783922df1712a/9f07a9b65dd9bdf6-98/s540x810/c580e9565427fece2b6fef6d893bc2bbbc418d9c.pnj) Just to show what you are talking about. I have to admit that was a good spot. I don't even remember him saying that. Was it in one of the DLC? Anyway, we know from Last Flight that the Crows use blood mages (probably a good place to hide from the Chantry) so this could be something that goes way back. Likely only high ranking Crows get access to the abilities too because they wouldn't want the lesser operatives to get too powerful. So those that started out as indentured servants (slaves) like Zevran would never be allowed them but the grandson of the First Talon would. Really good catch. Looks like this is in Haven, when finding the bloodstained altar in one of the houses. This gives me a +1 to my theory that some kind of ritual may have been performed on him. Maybe not exactly the Seeker reversed tranquility but we know from DA2 that blood mages can forcefully shove spirits into other people, maybe that's something that was done to Lucanis when he was young.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 18, 2024 12:37:08 GMT
maybe that's something that was done to Lucanis when he was young. It may be something similar to what the Avvar do with their young mages except it doesn't require the person to be a mage to perform it on them. As you say, a bit like the Seeker rite except not necessarily based on faith (Seekers are also usually inducted at a young age; Cassandra was said to be almost too old when she started training with them at the age of 12 and underwent the vigil rite at 15). It probably requires the person conducting the rite to be a mage though, which is why it was originally probably devised by one of their blood mages hiding from the Chantry. However, another possibility that I have already suggested would be using a Rivaini Wise Woman whose magic is probably more akin to that of the Avvar and she fulfills a similar role to the Augur in her society. Rivain shares a border with Antiva and there was likely a lot of sea trade between the two. They say that outside of the cities (on the coast) the Chantry had barely had any impact on their way of doing things so it was probably easy enough for the Crows to find a Rivaini Seer who could do the ritual for them.
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Post by Ice-Quinn on Jun 18, 2024 20:42:34 GMT
I still maintain that was a big act. If he was trying to impress his grandmother, I'd have thought he'd have done better to hold it together but if he actually had something to do with Lucanis' death (because it wasn't faked but intentional by him) then he was probably trying to cover himself. For all their apparent friendship there was definitely tension between them in Wigmaker Job over the matter of the successor to Caterina as First Talon. Also Lucanis was aware there was something rotten under the surface of the superficially charming Illario. It was clear he was jealous and resentful of the fact that his grandmother favoured Lucanis and whilst his cousin said he didn't want the role, the fact was he stood in his way so long as Caterina was making the decision. Lucanis admitted you don't say no to Caterina. It was interesting that it says that Lucanis was always totally honest with Illario, which was rare among the Crows, but that Illario didn't appreciate it because he didn't want to hear the truth but what fed his desires. So, best case scenario is that Illario helped Lucanis fake his death to smooth his passage to the top and free his cousin from his obligations. Alternatively, Illario did the dirty on him and Lucanis will be seeking revenge. Let's face it, last time we saw them in Wigmaker Job they were about to embark on a ship headed back to Antiva. So unless it was attacked by the Qunari navy or there was an enemy assassin already on board, how did Lucanis die? Either way, I wonder if the next step for Illario would have been to kill his grandmother. I think that Illario knows and maybe even helped Lucanis faked his death based on this line alone from The Wake: "He’d repeated this speech like an actor rehearsing for a particularly infuriating play for hours". Or maybe it was rehearsed to cover up his tracks, because he's the one who "murdered" his cousin...?
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 19, 2024 7:50:10 GMT
Or maybe it was rehearsed to cover up his tracks, because he's the one who "murdered" his cousin...? ![:rollseyes:](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/FumHmgIatAKrBHKVLvNP.gif) Exactly. He could have stabbed him in the back and then tipped him overboard when they were out at sea. Bottom line is that whole outpouring of grief was an act, a carefully rehearsed performance on the part of Illario to prevent people asking him too many awkward questions. My immediate reaction on reading that short story was "Lucanis isn't dead". Either he faked his death, so Illario knows the truth, or Illario thinks he murdered him but no doubt he is wrong about that and he is going to get rude awakening some time in the future.
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Post by fairdragon on Jun 19, 2024 8:48:03 GMT
Or maybe it was rehearsed to cover up his tracks, because he's the one who "murdered" his cousin...? ![:rollseyes:](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/FumHmgIatAKrBHKVLvNP.gif) Exactly. He could have stabbed him in the back and then tipped him overboard when they were out at sea. Bottom line is that whole outpouring of grief was an act, a carefully rehearsed performance on the part of Illario to prevent people asking him too many awkward questions. My immediate reaction on reading that short story was "Lucanis isn't dead". Either he faked his death, so Illario knows the truth, or Illario thinks he murdered him but no doubt he is wrong about that and he is going to get rude awakening some time in the future. Maybe Illario murded him but Lucanis came back from the dead. As they said: we can't kiss Emmrichs skeleton friend, but that doesn't mean we can't kiss any skeleton. Maybe Lucanis is kind of dead, but also alive.
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Post by colfoley on Jun 19, 2024 8:49:24 GMT
Exactly. He could have stabbed him in the back and then tipped him overboard when they were out at sea. Bottom line is that whole outpouring of grief was an act, a carefully rehearsed performance on the part of Illario to prevent people asking him too many awkward questions. My immediate reaction on reading that short story was "Lucanis isn't dead". Either he faked his death, so Illario knows the truth, or Illario thinks he murdered him but no doubt he is wrong about that and he is going to get rude awakening some time in the future. Maybe Illario murded him but Lucanis came back from the dead. As they said: we can't kiss Emmrichs skeleton friend, but that doesn't mean we can't kiss any skeleton. Maybe Lucanis is kind of dead, but also alive.
Or Emrrich.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 19, 2024 12:57:15 GMT
Maybe Lucanis is kind of dead, but also alive. Eew. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/BBCpsoiIHmyzmblpikow.png) That makes it sound bad but based off his short story that was also true of Anders. Also, Wynne, although we didn't romance her but Rhys did Evangeline after Lambert had killed her but Wynne gave up her spirit to revive her. It's not the same as romancing a corpse if the spirit/demon kept them alive at the moment of death, so their body hasn't deteriorated and the original person still has agency. It would be more creepy if it was like when Justice occupied the corpse of Kristoff, which had already started to decompose when he took up residence and his soul had already departed.
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Post by fairdragon on Jun 19, 2024 13:31:21 GMT
Maybe Lucanis is kind of dead, but also alive. Eew. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/BBCpsoiIHmyzmblpikow.png) That makes it sound bad but based off his short story that was also true of Anders. Also, Wynne, although we didn't romance her but Rhys did Evangeline after Lambert had killed her but Wynne gave up her spirit to revive her. It's not the same as romancing a corpse if the spirit/demon kept them alive at the moment of death, so their body hasn't deteriorated and the original person still has agency. It would be more creepy if it was like when Justice occupied the corpse of Kristoff, which had already started to decompose when he took up residence and his soul had already departed. A bit like the slave elf from Dragon Age: Absolution, only more alive.
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Post by Liepsnele on Jun 19, 2024 13:51:16 GMT
Either way, can't wait to find out about his supposed death in the game. I don't think (more like hope) that Illario wouldn't go as far as to kill his cousin he's been best friends with since they were children but anything could happen I suppose, being an assassin is a cutthroat business Interesting that every companion has an HD shot of their in-game look, but the only clear imagines showing Lucanis' face in game are from the trailer and the shot of the whole team. Bioware saving the best for last ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/KGsHESiZGZU0pPuHuhQr.png)
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 19, 2024 14:21:48 GMT
Either way, can't wait to find out about his supposed death in the game. I don't think (more like hope) that Illario wouldn't go as far as to kill his cousin he's been best friends with since they were children but anything could happen I suppose, being an assassin is a cutthroat business I also hope it's not the case of Illario having tried to get rid of Lucanis. I like the idea of him really thinking Lucanis is dead and being that melodramatic at the wake because it's funny and adds some more flair to his personality or that he is putting on an act because he helped Lucanis fake his death. In Tevinter Nights they seemed to get along and I like stories of kids growing up together in abusive environments being very close because they have to rely on one another. Their personalities makes me think that Lucanis maybe played the role of the protector, being the one who took on more of the abuse to spare Illario even a little bit and it did seem like Illario, as an adult, may have been trying to nudge Lucanis into voicing and acting on what he wanted for himself, noticing that Lucanis may have been looking for something more than just being an assassin, even if a master one. Pushing Lucanis to defy Caterina and not become Talon doesn't have to come from a place of jealousy, it could be from a place of genuinely wishing his cousin finds happiness and fulfillment. Though the idea that he does think Lucanis is dead would come with some sweet drama and I can already smell the popcorn I'll be eating when/if they meet up again, regardless of what happened.
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Post by Faye on Jun 19, 2024 17:42:04 GMT
Is Tevinter Nights worth the read? Contemplating if I should give it a go to kind of know a bit about these characters? This apparent dumpster fire intrigues me ![:lol:](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/qUctXNjCPgwPaLsZeKry.png)
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 19, 2024 17:46:19 GMT
Is Tevinter Nights worth the read? Contemplating if I should give it a go to kind of know a bit about these characters? This apparent dumpster fire intrigues me It's worth a read for more than just Lucanis. You can find out about Strife and Irelin from the Veil Jumpers (although they weren't called that back then), read Neve's account of one of her detective jobs, see what we're talking about when we refer to the horror pools of Ghilan'nain in connection with the Grey Wardens and read a number of stories about members of the Lords of Fortune. The only companions you won't find in there are Harding and Taash. There is a story featuring Solas though. Davrin isn't in there but you do get the Grey Warden connection, which he likely knows about, plus his colleagues Evka and Antoine who featured in the Missing.
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Post by midnight tea on Jun 19, 2024 18:08:34 GMT
Tevinter Nights is decidedly a book one has to read if they want to know more about some plot elements and characters in DAVe.
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Post by Felya87 on Jun 19, 2024 19:25:33 GMT
I want to romance Lucanis but I also want to play as a rogue and a crow. I don't usually like to play the same class as my love interest, but rogues are my favorite. I'm having a crisis. ![:crying:](//storage.proboards.com/6576594/images/DXYvYKTKTfCBEhHGFvDL.png) Same here! I want to go for my "traditional" combo: rogue elf, and I wanted the Crow background for some time! I guess I'll try to make (as much as possibile) as if my lady crow looked up at Lucanis as some kind of figure to be better of, a professional objective. Playng the angle of "professional rival to lover" could be fun. But I don't think the game would let me play like that. Still to decide, tho. Davrin seem interesting too as "first run romance".
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Post by Liepsnele on Jun 19, 2024 19:28:11 GMT
Tevinter Nights has some very nice stories but it's not mandatory to read before playing The Veilguard, similarly to how Asunder and The Masked Empire are not necessary to read before the Inquisition, although they provide a lot of background to the Mage-Templar conflict, Orlesian Civil war and Cole. If you want more info about the new factions and what's been going on between Trespasser and Veilguard then it's worth picking up.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 20, 2024 7:37:41 GMT
Pushing Lucanis to defy Caterina and not become Talon doesn't have to come from a place of jealousy, it could be from a place of genuinely wishing his cousin finds happiness and fulfillment. I seriously doubt Illario's motives were altruistic. In the Wigmaker it clearly says that when Illario is complaining that Caterina won't step aside, Lucanis can detect that "Beneath the bitterness in Illario's tone was something rotten". I'm sure he would have been happy to assist Lucanis in faking his death, so that he would no longer be an obstacle to his promotion to First Talon, but it would have nothing to do with wanting to promote the happiness of Lucanis, only his own ambitions. Also, after the job when they are relaxing in the tavern before boarding their ship, when Illario keeps pressing him on the subject again, Illario doesn't really seem to understand Lucanis since he suggests that Lucanis could have an easier life and give up the endless contracts if Illario were First Talon instead of Caterina but Lucanis insists he doesn't want to quit: "Death is my Calling", which is why he says that it is Illario's calling to be First Talon. Lucanis isn't seeking happiness and fulfillment by leaving the Crows because he already has that in being a master assassin. That is why I could see Illario helping him fake his death because it suits both of them. Also, that intensity and single-minded purpose does make me think of a spirit. I also recalled another instance of a person being not what they seem in Leliana if she was killed in DAO. In her case it would seem a spirit replicated her, much as the compassion spirit did Cole, only reliquishing its role if she does not became Divine. It has all her memories and her personality, which can even be influenced into being softer and more compassionate as she was back in DAO before her death, but is not actually her. So lots of precedents for how Lucanis might have some sort of spirit connection.
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 20, 2024 9:23:39 GMT
I seriously doubt Illario's motives were altruistic. In the Wigmaker it clearly says that when Illario is complaining that Caterina won't step aside, Lucanis can detect that "Beneath the bitterness in Illario's tone was something rotten". I'm sure he would have been happy to assist Lucanis in faking his death, so that he would no longer be an obstacle to his promotion to First Talon, but it would have nothing to do with wanting to promote the happiness of Lucanis, only his own ambitions. Also, after the job when they are relaxing in the tavern before boarding their ship, when Illario keeps pressing him on the subject again, Illario doesn't really seem to understand Lucanis since he suggests that Lucanis could have an easier life and give up the endless contracts if Illario were First Talon instead of Caterina but Lucanis insists he doesn't want to quit: "Death is my Calling", which is why he says that it is Illario's calling to be First Talon. Lucanis isn't seeking happiness and fulfillment by leaving the Crows because he already has that in being a master assassin. That is why I could see Illario helping him fake his death because it suits both of them. Sure, his reason don't have to be completely altruistic but that doesn't mean some semblance of it can't be in there. Abuse victims, especially adults who grew up in abusive environments, can have a tough time separating what's drilled into them as kids and coming to terms with it, especially if they don't break away from that environment to start deconstructing. Lucanis can certainly say he's happy being told what to do by Caterina, even becoming Talon in her place, but he does act like he might be at odds, deep down, with that idea. "Death is his calling" because was never allowed to seek anything different. Zevran was also like this, he accepted the reality of the Crows for what it was and never sought anything different until the woman he loved was murdered by them just to show him how little he mattered. And then he just sought death for himself, he gets lucky if the Warden doesn't kill him and offers him the chance to do something different with his life, even in the shadow of his past as a Crow. It might be harder for someone blood related to the Crows business to break away from all that, not just because it's hard to disappear from their sight, but also because of the complicated feelings of having that kind of upbringing. I will try rereading The Wigmaker Job today, been trying for a while but haven't managed to get around to it. I've been going off of memory and some of the finer details in their interactions and motivations might be lost to the fog of time.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 20, 2024 11:25:39 GMT
Lucanis can certainly say he's happy being told what to do by Caterina, even becoming Talon in her place, but he does act like he might be at odds, deep down, with that idea. I think there is a difference between what he has been trained to do, be a master assassin, and the role that he has been groomed for. First Talon. He doesn't want the latter but he is happy with the former. I remember Zevran was unapologetic about being an assassin but he did reject the Crows. My Inquisitor trained as an assassin but only because he though the skills would be useful, not because he wanted to take contracts to kill other people that he didn't perceive as a threat. That's why when the War Table mission was connected with a noble woman wanting him to kill her husband so she could still have her lover and her wealth/status in life, he refused to have anything to do with it (sided with Cullen who also thought it an abuse of his privileged position). Lucanis certainly seemed to have wanted to be on the side of justice rather than just taking contracts for the money and not caring who inadvertently got harmed along the way. Hence him wanting to ensure the safety of the slaves and not just kill the Wigmaker but make him suffer for all the suffering he had caused. That is not generally the Crow way of doing things, although Teia would seem to be of a similar mindset. She objected to the servants being killed as an indirect consequence of the action against the Talons. "There are rules...unless guilty you don't kill the help", to which Viago replied "No, you don't kill the help." So, cutting loose from the Crows would certainly give Lucanis freedom from taking contracts he didn't approve of but, with so many Talons having died, perhaps if Lucanis had taken over from Caterina, he perhaps could have changed the way the Crows undertook contracts so long as that didn't affect the security of Antiva. However, I think that would still be unlikely. The Crows have always very much reminded me of the Mafia and the set up under Caterina only reinforced that view.
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 20, 2024 12:04:16 GMT
That is not generally the Crow way of doing things, although Teia would seem to be of a similar mindset. She objected to the servants being killed as an indirect consequence of the action against the Talons. "There are rules...unless guilty you don't kill the help", to which Viago replied "No, you don't kill the help." So, cutting loose from the Crows would certainly give Lucanis freedom from taking contacts he didn't approve of but, with so many Talons having died, perhaps if Lucanis had taken over from Caterina, he perhaps could have changed the way the Crows undertook contracts so long as that didn't affect the security of Antiva. However, I think that would still be unlikely. The Crows have always very much reminded me of the Mafia and the set up under Caterina only reinforced that view. Teia is like that because she came from a disadvantaged background, as opposed to Lucanis and Illario, who were born into it and, despite their childhood, they're both still essentially "Crows nobility". I don't think Lucanis would have been a good Talon of whichever kind, though. He's too closed off to be effective in a position of leadership. Probably the best outcome would be to have him and Illario work together, Illario is good with people and Lucanis is good at planning and execution. Maybe one of the points of the Crows story, if there will be a more in depth one, will be about a changing of the old guard and a reinvigoration of the Crows attitude. The female voice in the Thedas Calls teaser said "we fight for everyone and we always will" but, as you said, the Crows don't really do that, it's just window dressing and good PR, the reality is much more dark pragmatism. Maybe we even get to reduce the Crows' influence in the long run, the reason they can really act the way they do is because Antiva relies on them too much.
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 20, 2024 12:27:51 GMT
Maybe we even get to reduce the Crows' influence in the long run, the reason they can really act the way they do is because Antiva relies on them too much. It will be interesting to see how well they have countered the invasion of the Antaam. The last time it occurred they weren't able to repel them. They seem to rely on their reputation as much as anything to deter foreign invasion. Most Thedas rulers are wary of antagonising them in case they end up becoming a target. However, the Qun don't give a toss about reputation and as Sten recounted when the Crows try to infiltrate Par Vollen they are generally unsuccessful because they don't understand the Qun way of doing things and the Ben'Hassrath see them coming. It was Yavana and her dragons that broke the siege of Seleny in the Steel Age. I imagine that Lucanis' personal quest is going to be connected with Antiva, although it could be related to the Venatori, or possibly both. The concept art showed Crows fighting Venatori on the roof tops of a city. I assume that would be Treviso or Antiva City, although I wonder what the Venatori would be doing there in any numbers? Could they be seeking something in the fairy tale castle?
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August 2016
grogmuffins
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 20, 2024 13:19:06 GMT
It will be interesting to see how well they have countered the invasion of the Antaam. The last time it occurred they weren't able to repel them. They seem to rely on their reputation as much as anything to deter foreign invasion. Most Thedas rulers are wary of antagonising them in case they end up becoming a target. However, the Qun don't give a toss about reputation and as Sten recounted when the Crows try to infiltrate Par Vollen they are generally unsuccessful because they don't understand the Qun way of doing things and the Ben'Hassrath see them coming. It was Yavana and her dragons that broke the siege of Seleny in the Steel Age. They could suffer so many casualties due to the invasion that they won't be able to function the same way anymore, making it easier to possibly pivot them into a different role or way of operating. I think this might be the turning point that would make Antiva realize that they need an actual army and a united government. The merchant prices could unite and create a republic and the Crows could be turned into a secret service or even the start point of a proper military. Or they maintain independence but work more collaboratively with other authorities instead of undermining or replacing them.
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RelevantRevenant
N3
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Games: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 394 Likes: 863
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Sept 7, 2024 19:02:16 GMT
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RelevantRevenant
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December 2022
relevantrevenant
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by RelevantRevenant on Jun 20, 2024 14:38:56 GMT
I imagine that Lucanis' personal quest is going to be connected with Antiva, although it could be related to the Venatori, or possibly both. The concept art showed Crows fighting Venatori on the roof tops of a city. I assume that would be Treviso or Antiva City, although I wonder what the Venatori would be doing there in any numbers? Could they be seeking something in the fairy tale castle? I presume his personal quest is either: A) the Qunari invasion or whatever is happening in Antiva at that front
yeeting Illario or Zara Renata or someone else who might be responsible for his (apparently faked) death
C) something else entirely that took place in between the game and the short stories
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Illario. Yes, he might be working with Lucanis but also against him Guess we'll have to wait and see what they have in store for us
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Sept 5, 2024 16:46:10 GMT
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fairdragon
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July 2020
fairdragon
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate
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Post by fairdragon on Jun 21, 2024 5:57:05 GMT
I imagine that Lucanis' personal quest is going to be connected with Antiva, although it could be related to the Venatori, or possibly both. The concept art showed Crows fighting Venatori on the roof tops of a city. I assume that would be Treviso or Antiva City, although I wonder what the Venatori would be doing there in any numbers? Could they be seeking something in the fairy tale castle? I presume his personal quest is either: A) the Qunari invasion or whatever is happening in Antiva at that front
yeeting Illario or Zara Renata or someone else who might be responsible for his (apparently faked) death
C) something else entirely that took place in between the game and the short stories
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Illario. Yes, he might be working with Lucanis but also against him Guess we'll have to wait and see what they have in store for us Doesn't Weeks said some of the writer have wrote more sad stories then him this time? This could be one of them.
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August 2016
grogmuffins
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by Grog Muffins on Jun 21, 2024 7:43:04 GMT
Sorry for the incoming wall of text but I managed to reread The Wigmaker Job last night and have some thoughts. I honestly don't see the potential for Illario doing anything to willingly hurt Lucanis. I am confident, based on the short story, in saying that these two love each other and would look out for one another. They banter and quip like brothers, they make fun of each other over small things good naturedly, Lucanis smiles often and even almost outright laughs at Illario's antics and Illario appreciates it when Lucanis does show an appreciation for the dramatic and romanticism of espionage while infiltrating the party, Lucanis even seems to want to show off a bit in the sense of "look what my contacts can help with, look at the secret routes I discovered and no one else knows about, this is pretty cool, isn't it?" Any tension between them makes sense in a high stakes, high stress situation, like Illario wanting to know more about Forfex while they're already on the roof at the party entrance and Lucanis had already gone into job mode and wanted to focus, or Illario being frustrated at not killing Forfex when they get the first chance because Lucanis wanted to play vengeance demon or at the slaves situation because he's worried and sees how things could go horribly wrong. These make sense because they acknowledge that Lucanis didn't actually have a good plan to kill Forfex, he made a dossier but the plan was "Find Ambrose. Slit his throat." and, let's face it, Lucanis was making some pretty bad decisions after they got into Forfex's lab. Any hint of animosity that Illario shows is only directed at Caterina. " All that effort training and grooming us, and the old woman still won't step aside." Beneath the bitterness in Illario's tone was something rotten. This could of course be read in different ways because it's not really elaborated on and we don't get a good idea of what Illario's true feelings on Caterina are besides the remarks he makes to Lucanis about him being her favorite. The story talks about Lucanis' feelings of hating her when he was a child but as an adult having more of a DAO Morrigan towards Flemeth appreciation for preparing him for the life he was going to have, but it's not really elaborated as to what Illario's feelings on Caterina are purely on his own, his feelings on her are always tied up with Lucanis. Maybe that's deliberate in order to offer that insight in the game itself, maybe he really hates Caterina for a number of reasons but doesn't want to bring it up to Lucanis knowing how his cousin is a faithful follower and he doesn't want them to have a fight over it. The last scene of them together in the bar, when he brings up that if he was in charge Lucanis could quit, feels pretty honest (the story even acknowledges honesty is rare in the Crows so they take it when they can get it), with Illario trying to make it clear that he doesn't want Lucanis to get himself killed, master assassin or no, because, if nothing else, I think we can agree Lucanis has some pretty bad self preservation instincts at times. Illario's feelings are complicated and we don't have as much of an explanation on them as we have for Lucanis, he has hate and worry and love all wrapped up in relation to the people in his life and, honestly, that's pretty accurate for victims of abuse. Siblings growing up in that kind of environment can be very close because they rely on each other for comfort, but they can also compete with one another because the favored one can be less abused than the non-favored one, or one can resent the other (usually the younger resents the older) because they could have done more to lessen or stop the abuse but they didn't. Not to mention the complicated feelings towards the abuser, especially if they're not breaking away from the environment and starting a process of deconstruction and healing. It took Morrigan 10 years to look Flemeth in the face and tell her she was a horrible mother and she'd never be the kind of mother that Flemeth was to her. What I believe might play an important part in Lucanis' personal quest is tied to what Magister Renata says. She and her allies want to lay low and watch what Lucanis does. They know he has a heart, so I'm thinking they'll try to see who he cares about and try to hurt him by going after those people, i.e. Illario and Caterina. Because of this, maybe our choice will be about who we push him towards protecting and that might affect the kind of person he becomes. If we push him towards protecting Caterina, he becomes more like her, more ruthless, closed off, pragmatic, if we push him towards protecting Illario, he becomes more willing to open up, to voice his own desires and not repress them, to be less murder hobo-y. This might also have some kind of effect on how the Crows as an organization could be reformed in the long run.
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