O Maker, hear my cry:
Guide me through the blackest nights.
Steel my heart against the temptations of the wicked.
Make me to rest in the warmest places.

Transfigurations 12:1

Carion "Rook" Mercar

Tevinter's Bird of Prey

Background

Clan Quilcrest

Some time before he was made head of the clan, Nehnis and his wife, Felivetanin, gave birth to a child: Revassan, meaning "arrow of freedom." Revassan was born early and much of the clan didn't think that she would live long. With steadfast prayers and all of his heart, Nehnis made sure that Revassan would live.
A year passed and as the clan was travelling towards the Andoral's Reach area, they stopped outside of Tallo, settling into a partially caved area. Unbeknownst to them, conflict was brewing between the Vint locals and Quanari. Nehnis made peace with the Quanari, promising to leave as soon as they were able while also agreeing to not stay more than two nights. Being the curious soul he was, Nehnis went into the Vint city against his wife's wishes.
While he was away, humans moved in on the Dalish camp. Quanari nearby didn't take kindly to the humans overstepping the unspoken boundaries and a fight broke out.
Nehnis made it back to the camp in time to help all who remained escape with what they could. They lost most of their halla and the supplies they had gathered while near the city. Parts of the cave came crashing down in the bloody chaos and in the panic, Revassan was left behind.
A small battalion of Tevinter’s army, came in to drive the Quanari away temporarily. Hours after the fight, Charon Mercar and his hound, Chuck, were sweeping the plains for the few fallen there were. In the silence, they heard distant crying and naturally, followed the sound to where Clan Irariel once was. In the camp, some elves weren’t lucky to escape including the Hearthmistress. Revassan was caught in a nook between the debris, saved by a halla miraculously. It was pure luck and a miracle that Revassan survived and even purer luck that they were found by Charon. Taking Revassan as his own, he gave them the name “Circe”.

The Mercar Family

Long before the Quilcrest incident, Charon already had a rebellious streak, but he was far too good a fighter to discharge. The Imperium, however, did not take kindly to Circe’s adoption, and Charon’s career was stunted. For as long as Charon kept the child, any progress he made towards a title was worth half than what it should've been. The lack of recognition didn't bother him much but the other half of him yearned for it. In the same vein however, much like his wife, he was overjoyed to have a child. HIs legatus was cruel though, forcing Charon to remain stationed out of the city for long periods.
Per mandate of Charon's Legatus and the Magisters, Circe was kept separated from the public as it would be uncouth for a man of such high status to be seen with an elf. Very few knew of Circe's existence outside of the Mercars and the military. The household slaves were bound to the house or sworn to secrecy about the household. Despite everything, Rhiannon raised Circe as her child and loved them to pieces. Charon never said so, but he loved Circe too.

Because of the Magister's mandate, Circe was homeschooled by the slaves of the house. Rhiannon often oversaw any schooling. She didn't make a real effort to connect Circe with her Dalish heritage, even when some of the slaves suggested it. Rhiannon was normally open to their ideas but she brushed them off quickly. Especially, as any effort was met with Circe being virtually uninterested or blatantly disregarding anything she learned. Similarly, Circe didn't care to learn about their birth parents or how they ended up with the Mercars. To them, it was just a fact of life. Despite how much she loved Rhiannon and vice verse, Circe was lonely. It wasn’t obvious, but it was a given. Rhiannon hurt for her but she knew that Charon himself wouldn't even approve of letting Circe socialize with other children her age. Much less, anyone other than herself and the slaves of the house. Often times, Circe would take to going through Charon's library and reading stories of the Grey Wardens. She was the most interested in reading about the griffons and the Exalted Age.
On the other end of the spectrum however, Circe followed Andrastianism much like her mother. Rhiannon wasn't especially devout, not since fleeing Orlais, but she still found herself teaching Circe about the Maker and his bride. Circe took much more from those teaching than she did anything else, still holding a lot of her beliefs as she grew up.

Rhiannon was well known among high society in Tevinter, especially for her extravagent parties that she hosted. When Circe was much younger, she refrained from hosting such a thing but once she was old enough to know the rules, Rhiannon was more than eager. The first handful of parties Circe heeded Rhiannon's instructions and stayed in her room but some nights, the party's graceful music would find its way to the second floor of the house. Circe couldn't help but be curious. She started to lurk in the stairwell, then down the stairs, then just outside of the doorway. Eventually, Rhiannon noticed Circe and she made a deal with her: Once she was old enough, she'd be allowed to attend. She just had to wait until then. Charon always found a way home for Rhiannon's most extravagent celebrations. At first, he enforced the same strict rule onto Circe but Rhiannon calmed his nerves, citing that Circe was particularly good at staying out of sight. Still, whenver Charon was home, Circe would stay upstairs and when the music would get louder, she would mirror the dancing just a floor beneath her.

By the time Circe was 12, Charon came back home more often. In his rest, he'd take some time to practice Archery behind the house. At first, Circe would come outside to watch and Charon would scold her, sending her back inside. But, as she continously followed him out, the more he softened. He finally relented and took to teaching Circe how to shoot a bow. It didn't take long for it to become tradition and for it to be the first thing they did when Charon came home.Despite the limited time he was home, Circe really looked up to her father and wanted to be like him. Her feelings remained the same throughout her life, even after a rift sprouted between them.

The rift came not long after Circe became Carion.
Circe never acted traditionally masculine or feminine. They had interests that a girl might have, but they took more after their father in all other regards. They felt out of place and chose to start going by “Carion” when they were roughly 17. It wasn't until he joined up with the Shadow Dragons that he identified himself as male entirely.
Charon, being born and raised in Tevinter, was not fond of it and explicitly said so. His views didn't change until after the years of the Inquisition—long after Carion left the nest—when Magister Dorian Pavus was caught in a scandal about his personal relationship with the Inquisitor. Rhiannon, on the other hand, was as supportive as she could be. She didn't entirely understand it, but she didn't want Carion to feel trapped any more than she knew he was.

The Shadow Dragons

At 18, Carion grew curious. Rhiannon tried to stop his curiosity but it wasn’t enough and while walking through the markets with his mother, Carion took off on his own. He didn't know where to go or what to do so he just simply… wandered. He quickly realized his mistake as Venatori slavers jumped him in an alleyway. He put up as much of a fight as he could but was slashed across the bridge of his nose. Just before he was taken away, by a stroke of pure luck, he was saved by Raoul Kerimow, a human spellblade mage and one of the Shadow Dragons leaders.It felt like his entire world was turned upside down when he met Raoul. The mage urged Carion to go home and deal with his injuries. Carion tried to thank him but Raoul was gone before he could. It took longer than he liked to admit but eventually, Carion found his way home. When Rhiannon saw the scar across his nose, she immediately began to fuss over him, lamenting that she never should have let him go with her. Carion didn't stop her fussing and instead, kept thinking back to the encounter itself: The rush he got in the "fight" and seeing the way the mysterious mage fought. He needed to experience it all again. Recklessly, he took to the streets on his own. It didn't take long for Raoul to save his skin once more, as if Andraste herself willed it. Still stunned by Raoul’s display of power and protection, Carion wanted to do the same. At first, he refused and disappeared. However, as they kept crossing paths, Raoul started to recognize the young elf without a second glance. Finally, Carion managed to stand up for himself just as Raoul showed up to save him. With the bloodied ruffian at his feet, Raoul asked if it was Carion’s doing. He hesitantly said yes and in an instant, the mercenary was killed by the Shadow Dragon. He asked Carion another question: “Can you do that?”
Carion never gave a proper answer but Raoul liked him just enough to take him under his wing.

Carion’s reputation with the Shadows grew expeditiously with him being commended for his efficiency and discretion. He was given the nickname “Bird of Prey” by his fellow Shadows and local papers. The “Rook” moniker was given to him by Raoul, sticking better than his first title. His main role among the faction was staking out slave trades and keeping tabs on corrupt magisters in the city. More often than not, he would start his stakeouts in the evening and work straight through the night. During the days, he would either sleep or he'd be training himself physically. It was easier to better his skills with the bow but he gained decent control of his body so that he'd have less of a disadvantage if a close fight ever came. The more his name became known, the more the Lucerni would ask for Carion in other cities. Carion, however, always refused, citing that it was easier to work from somewhere he knew.

Raoul pried at Carion to get him to open up but the elf never relented. Raoul built his part of the faction on trust and his own apprentice was betraying him. Yet, he never thought to look further into him.
That was until the Mercar's semi-annual event: The Golden Affair. Raoul alongside two of his fellow Shadows snuck into the Mercar's party for leads and potentially powerful allies but instead, they found Carion in his natural habitat as a slave. They saw him as, what they could only describe as, a performer: complacent and feigning happiness. It was a strange thing to see from someone he’s known to be bold and the only thing he could think to do was help him escape. After a more or less harrowing confrontation between the lady of the house and Carion, he was sent away from the party. Raoul boldly chased after him, expecting to see Carion distressed or upset when he followed him. He was shocked to find him almost carefree and….happy? He didn't ask any questions and became formulating a plan of escape immediately but Carion quickly cut him off.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly.
"What?"
"I don't… want to leave."
There was hesitance in his voice and Raoul knew it. He tried to convince Carion that he didn't want to stay.
"You're a slave."
"That's not… You're wrong, Raoul."
Raoul was compelled to belive him but still, he urged Carion to run away and escape whatever he was caught in. Carion stood his ground and averted his eyes, telling Raoul to leave. He, against his own judgement, didn't argue further and left. There was much he didn't understand about the young elf but he still believed he was in it for their cause. As he tried to leave, he was caught by Charon. The Tribunus at the time didn't speak much but there was a threat of a fight breaking out. That was until he realized that Circe was not with Raoul. Out of the kindness of his heart, he let Raoul leave and commanded that he take his lackeys with him. Raoul heeded his words and left promptly. He never spoke of the encounter or what he saw in the Mercar home.

Over the years, he became more involved in his work, especially as the Venatori grew bolder by the day. Similarly, he endured more and more blood magic as time went on. Faints scarring started to show through his skin and more and more, did he become physically weak. As the scars came in, he opted to cover them up to keep his mother from worrying. Nevertheless, he continued to sneak out in the night and grow his reputation further. So much so that, when he was 27, he was asked for in a high-profile mission outside of the city. Despite his intial refusals, Raoul continuously asked him and eventually forced him to Nessus.

Nessus

Carion didn't know what to expect for this particular job. All he knew was that it was up his line of work and that he was considered the most discreet of the Shadows. With Charon still out of the city and Rhiannon preoccupied with preparations for the next Golden Affair, Carion found it easy to find a way out of the city.
Upon getting to the Shadows' base in Nessus, Carion was shocked to find out that this job in particular was to be done with the Viscount of Kirkwall, Varric Tethras. At first, Carion didn’t speak much to Varric aside from polite small talk. However, as they prepared for the mission, the rogue tossed the proposed plan from his fellow Shadows aside.The initial plan was to target only Varric’s friend but Carion believed entirely that he’d be able to crush the entire Nessus slavery ring. So, he set his own plan into motion: While Varric and half of the Shadows would free the slaves, Carion would lead the distraction and pull the Venatori away from them. In practice, the plan worked perfectly with the Venatori chasing after Carion to either put him down or enslave him. Either way, no outcome would come to be as he dealt with them as quickly as Varric freed slaves.
Despite everything going as smooth as it could, Carion faced his toughest battle to date that would irrevocably change his perspective….
Carion was never really a fan of magic and the power it held in Tevinter. However, facing Venatori like this made his opinions on mages as a whole worse, believing them to all be power hungry and manipulative. His distraction was mostly successful until he was met with Roland Kerimow, a highly regarded magister and a powerful blood mage in his own rights. Carion had only a vague idea how stronger Kerimow was but he truly didn't expect what was to come. He threw himself at the mage without a second thought and quickly found himself contorted and broken beyond belief. Roland was resourceful and used the rogue's open wounds against him. Not only did he take some of his blood but he left him powerless, clotting the blood in his veins and threatening to let them burst. But he didn't. Instead, he had his fun with Carion and allowed his underlings to handle him further. He was slashed up and beaten senseless within an inch of his life.
He’d have been killed but Varric rescued him from his face. Despite the intense pain left in his body, he found it in himself to keep fighting, running off of pure adrenaline. The rest of the plan working the way it intended made it easier for Carion and Varric to escape. When they reached the Shadows' safehouse, Carion's adrenaline dropped and he collapsed not long after. They did all they could but his injuries were out of their hand.

When he was barely conscious, Raoul did his best to get Carion home without raising suspicion but their plans were quickly foiled. Crossing onto the Mercar's property, Rhiannon caught them. Upon seeing Carion bruised beyond belief, she screamed and Charon, who had just returned from his work out of the city, came to her. He took Carion from Raoul without a word but when Rhiannon tried to invite him in, Charon snapped at her and threatened to send his hound after Raoul. Carion tried to defend him but instead, the blood loss hit him again and he fell unconscious. Bringing Carion in, Rhiannon called for their slaves to tend to his wounds. As they began to work, Charon and Rhiannon stood idly by. Their stomachs turned as they saw the grotesque scars that covered his body. They were a horrid reflection of his own skeleton and looked as if they'd burst open if prodded at too much. Finally, after all they could do, Carion was left to rest and heal.

After several days, Carion finally able to move again. He couldn't do much but he eventually made his way downstairs. Rhiannon was overjoyed to see that Carion was okay. Charon, on the other hand, was boiling. Word of the incident in Nessus quickly found its way to Charon. Not only that, Magister Kerimow's death was quickly spreading and who was to blame? Tevinter's Bird of Prey. Every puzzle piece he had finally fell into place and he knew exactly who that was; his own daughter. Quickly, snarling accusations came out. Carion started to defend himself but with Rhiannon a few feet, no words seemed to come out. The confrontation grew heated quickly as Charon took the collar of Carion's shirt.
Carion was stunned. So much so, that he couldn't help but stare up at his father with wide eyes. Charon threw him to the ground, continuing to degrade Carion and eventually, the Shadow Dragons as whole. At that, Carion snapped back. What was originally a father yelling at his child became a Legatus-To-Be fighting with rebel scum of the city. Carion's own accusations came out hot and strong: accusing his father of aiding the Venatori's rise to power by choosing to stay silent and only act for the Magisters' wishes. Charon ignored every word out of Carion's mouth, calling him nothing but ungrateful and foolish. Carion took a step towards Charon, snarling cruel truths, and without missing a beat, Charon struck him, knocking his tooth out in the process. As blood poured from his mouth, Charon took Carion by the back of his shirt collar and dragged him back up the stairs while Rhiannon shouted at him to stop. He threw Carion into his bedroom and promptly locked the door. He didn't have a plan further than that but Maker only knew what would happen when the Legatus would come knocking on their door.

That night, Carion wallowed in a pool of his own blood. He didn't know what else he could do, other than flee the city. So, that's what he decided to do. The more he thought on it, the more his adrenaline spiked. With what he strength he could, he collected his belongings. It wasn't much but clothes and a bow and quiver. The quiver wasn't his own but rather, his father's. He didn't mean to take it but it was much sturdier than the one he kept. He didn't bother to write a note, not even to his mother. He just simply vanished.Not long after his disappearance, wanted posters were plasted all over Minrathous; Moreso in his own neighboorhood than the lower city. Unlike other wanted fugitives, Carion, or "Circe" as the poster said, was wanted alive by the Tevinter Militant Forces with a more than plentiful reward.

In Rialto & Hereafter

After fleeing the city, Carion never stayed anywhere for too long. That was until he came to Rialto. While passing through the city, he met Josifen Harkorna, an elven woman with a knack for expression and tattooing. The pair met by chance and Josifen took an interest in him; both as a muse and canvas.
She asked about the stories behind his scars and at first, he didn’t speak much. Then, she offered to make them beautiful or, in her words, "more beautiful than before." Their first time alone, she carefully tattooed over the scars on his chin. They were smaller but still noticeable. She was shocked to find that he didn't flinch in the slightest. She asked for his story again and softly, he told the story behind the ones on his chin: a fuck-up on his part where he didn't deflect a knife fast enough. When he saw the tattoos, he asked if she would cover more of his scars to which she chuckly lightly and only asked for his stories in exchange.
They never considered themselves lovers but they were certainly closer than just friends. As she tattooed the wing on Carion's cheek, his story was somewhat false. Of course, he said it was from the venatori but he never said how much they really did to him. That was until she noticed the scars on the back of his neck. At first, she gently prodded but under the guise of their closer bond, she continued to press him about them. Carion wasn't put off about it, only hesitant to show her. When he finally relented, Josifen froze. She didn't know what she expected under his clothes but it certainly wasn't these scars. She asked for the story, like she always did, and Carion told it. But it was clear that the air between them had changed drastically. The more he told his story, the quieter he became. Josifen never heard the end of the Nessus job and she never asked for it either. She still tattooed over his scars and planned something just as grand as his stories made him seem but, before she could entirely cover them up, Carion vanished after the beginning of the acanthus design on his arm was started. Just like before, he didn't leave a note or a goodbye.

At 31, he crossed paths with Varric in a small bar in Marothius. Varric was overjoyed to see the elf again and promptly introduced him to Harding. Carion trailed alongside them while they were in the city and had no plans to leave but Varric couldn’t help but propose the idea to him; The idea to join the Inquisitor’s merry band and stop the Dread Wolf.Now, when the Inquisition took Thedas by storm 10 years ago, stories of Inquisitor Souvelani Lavallen travelled up north. Lavellan was depicted as many things: a political assassin, a disciple of the Maker, and a second coming of Andraste. Carion couldn't help but latch onto the concept of the Herald and the power he held. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Carion idolized the Inquisitor. To work under his command would be an honor and he took Varric’s proposal with a wide smile. Little did he know that Souvelani would disapprove of Carion’s recruitment, not that Inquisitor Lavellan wouldn’t say so.
He was quickly filled in on the job at hand, in much more detail than before, and took to travelling alongside the dwarves. Similarly to his time as a Shadow, his main task became to keep tabs on their leads. He often found himself taking lead of this small northern branch, even when he didn't mean to.Despite all his practice, he never was really prepared for what was to come.

credits
tarot card art done by Nev _the _artist on twitter
dividers by shadow-dragon-week on tumblr